Luan Goes Too Far
by OXYD
Summary: Its April fools day yet again in the Loud House and the family retreats into Lisa's bunker to avoid Luan and her prank traps. But after Lincoln decides to set off the prank traps in the house, he ends up getting critically injured in one of the traps to the point of hospitalization. How will the family handle this situation? How will Luan cope with it as well?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey there, Loud House fans. While I'm still busy working on the next chapter of Relics Of The Past, I've got a special Loud House story here for you all. However, I must warn you that it is a bit disturbing, but it sends a dire warning to the readers. After watching several april fools day episodes of the Loud House featuring Luan Loud pulling pranks on her family, it made me realize something that I'm sure many Loud House know by now. Many of her pranks could have potentially hurt or crippled the members of her family, especially during the episode where Luan forces Lynn Sr. to purchase a hotel in order to pull various pranks on her family. Some fans have even considered Luan to be insane, but in my opinion, I believe she's just reckless. Yet however, I always wondered how far Luan might go before her pranks actually ends up severely hurting someone. Well, in this short story, its April fools day, and that means its pranking day for Luan at the Loud House. However, she does not know that this day will be the day that it goes horribly wrong for the first time, and in the worst way imaginable. Also, my OC characters Nelson Rivers and Lloyd Florence will also make an appearance in this story as well.**

 **Disclaimer: My OC characters are all that I own.**

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Chapter 1: Prank Calamity

It was a 10:00 AM at the Loud House as the Loud family rushed out of their home in a panic. Today was the day that they'd all been dreading for the last few weeks: April fools day. This meant that Luan would be pranking her entire family with hidden prank traps set in various rooms and areas of the house all day long. However, for the rest of her family, they always had a plan in motion to avoid Luan and her pranks.

"Quick! Inside the bunker everybody" Lisa said frantically, leading the family into her military grade underground bunker just outside the house.

Rita, Lynn Sr, Lola, Lana, Luna, Lucy, Lynn Jr, Leni, Lori, and Lincoln followed Lisa inside the bunker with a now four year old Lily following close behind him.

"Man, I can't believe Luan is at it again! And here I thought she'd keep her word that she wouldn't pull anymore pranks on april fools day, especially after last year" Lori pouted.

No one in the family had forgotten about last years april fools prank Luan had pulled on them all. She had hired duplicate actors from a film studio to take the places of her family members in order to prank them all, but Luan eventually got what was coming to her when her family got back at her by placing all of her belongings on a moving van and forcing Luan to make a mad dash across town to get her stuff back. Even after all that, Luan still hadn't given up on pranking.

"Yeah, but what did you expect? She's Luan, the prankster queen. Its not like she's gonna give up pranking anytime soon" Luna replied.

"Luan a meanie" Lily said.

"I'm telling you, we've got to do something about it once this day is over" Rita urged her husband.

"Grounding Luan doesn't do much good though," Lynn Sr replied. "She always goes back on her word every year".

"Her pranks will be the death of us one day" Lucy said grimly.

"I doubt she'd ever go that far," Lynn Jr replied. "But her pranks could end up hurting someone real bad someday if she keeps it up".

"We should try standing up to Luan for once" Lola suggested.

Before anyone could respond to her suggestion, they all heard a knock on the bunker door.

"Come out, come out, my little siblings! I know you're in there" Luan called out in a sing song tone of voice, followed by a laugh.

"Not a chance, Luan! Lana yelled.

"Yeah, we're not looking to fall into your prank traps like last time" Leni added.

"Aww come on," Luan taunted. "I'm not gonna bite".

"No come out" Lily said, shaking her head.

"Luan, we're not coming out until nightfall, or until you dismantle those traps of yours. So get lost!" Lori snapped.

"Gee whiz, what a party _pooper!_ Get it?" Luan laughed, splating a bag of pig poop on the bunker, then headed away from the bunker and back into the house.

"Man, she's just not gonna give up, is she!" Lola moaned.

"Then I'll do something about it" Lincoln declared.

Everyone turned to face Lincoln with shocked expressions.

"What?! Lincoln, Luan's probably got every room in the house rigged with prank traps. Your not seriously going in there, are you?" Leni exclaimed.

"Yes, I'm going to trip all of the traps she's got set in the house so that we can all get out of here," Lincoln nodded. "I did it once to prevent Ronnie Anne from getting caught in them. If I did it once, I can do it again".

"Lincoln, are you sure about this?" Rita asked in concern.

"Very sure, mom," Lincoln nodded. "I'll spring the traps and be back to get you in a flash".

"All right, be careful" Rita replied as Lincoln climbed up the ladder leading to the bunker door.

"Your funeral, bro" Lucy said.

Lincoln turned the wheel on the bunker to the right, unlocking the door. He then pushed it open and climbed out of the bunker, then side stepped around the door to avoid the pig dung Luan threw at the door a minute ago. Lincoln then closed the door and started towards the house, but once he reached the porch, he set off a prank trap set on the roof above him. A small twine rope was nailed to a loose floorboard on the porch steps and attached to a bucket of red food coloring on the roof, and when Lincoln stepped on the board, he caused the bucket to tilt and spill the red liquid all over him. This really pissed him off since he'd just washed his shirt the other night, and this food coloring would be impossible to get out.

"Ugh, that Luan! She's gonna regret this" Lincoln growled in frustration as his white hair and orange shirt got wet.

Just then, a Samsung tablet with a webcam attached to the front door sprang to life and displayed Luan's grinning face on the screen.

 _"Well well, Lincoln. Come to try and stop me?"_ Luan taunted.

From what Lincoln could tell from the surroundings around Luan, she was in the kitchen standing near the sink. He tried opening the door, but it had a wooden door stop stuck under it from the inside.

"Luan, your pranks have gone far enough, and we're all sick of it," Lincoln snapped angrily. "I'm coming in there and springing whatever traps you set, then your gonna wash my shirt! Now take the stop out from under this door!".

 _"Sorry, but I can't do that,"_ Luan said, reaching off screen for something. _"I'm just having a BLAST today"._

Suddenly, a set of party poppers hanging from the porch ceiling went off above Lincoln, showering him with confetti. Luan laughed loudly as Lincoln glared in frustration at her, then the tablet went dark.

"Ugh! I've had enough of this!" Lincoln snapped impatiently, rattling the door in an attempt to loosen the door stop and open the door.

After setting her tablet down inside the house, Luan finished setting up her last prank trap. This one consisted of a transparent piece of plastic twine that stretched across the entrance to the kitchen, a jar of old bacon grease which she poured across the floor leading to the refrigerator, and a bucket of water balloons on top of the fridge. The way this prank would work is that Lincoln would head for the kitchen, trip on the twine and slide across the grease on the floor, then slam into the fridge which would cause the bucket on top of it to spill the water balloons all over him.

As Luan finished setting the bucket in place, she jumped off the stool she was using and said, "Yeah, he'll never see this one coming".

Luan kicked the stool aside and grabbed her Ipad tablet, then headed for the attic where no prank traps had been set and watch everything unfold through Lisa's security cameras on her Ipad. However, Luan was so preoccupied and excited from setting up this last trap that she didn't notice that one of the front balancing legs on the fridge was loose... too loose.

By the point, Lincoln had gotten the door open enough to slip inside. Once he entered the house, Lincoln thought about where he should start looking for Luan's prank traps. He knew that she most likely hid the traps in areas that he'd never looked before. It had been two years since Lincoln had foiled Luan's traps to save Ronnie Anne from getting caught in one of them, so he knew that she had probably put the traps in different locations.

"I'd better start with upstairs first, then I'll check the rest of downstairs for any other traps Luan might have set" Lincoln decided, then rushed up the stairs to check for traps.

Once he got to the top of the stairs, Lincoln stepped on a small rubber bulb that suddenly exploded and showered him with McCormick brand onion powder which made him sneeze several times.

"Man, I hate onion powder! But I can't stop now" Lincoln said with a sneeze.

He entered the hallway and saw the door to his parents was open a crack, giving him the impression that something was off. Lincoln rushed up to the door and pulled it open fully, only to be splattered with a pail of rotten eggs which stank like a bunch of real bad diarrhea farts.

"Ughh! Sweet mother of Christ! Rotten eggs!" Lincoln exclaimed in complete disgust as he ran out of the room, coughing from the horrible stench.

A few of the eggs had splattered on his shirt and head, but most of them had missed Lincoln entirely and landed his feet.

"Luan, you really don't know when to quit, do you?" Lincoln growled as he headed for his sister's rooms next.

In the attic, Luan stood near an old chair laughing histarically as she watched the camera feeds on her Ipad of Lincoln setting off all the traps in each of her siblings rooms. Lucy and Lynn's room were rigged with pie launchers which splat Lincoln in the face in the chest with chocolate cream pie. The beds in Lori and Leni's room were filled with non-venomous corn snakes which Lincoln took back to their cage into Lana and Lola's room, only to trip another prank trap of Luan's that shot rubber bands at him from a set of pop guns sitting on Lola's tea table.

"Man, you really are desperate to stop my pranks, aren't you Lincoln?" Luan laughed like a crazy yandere girl as she watched Lincoln enter hers and Luna's room.

The trap in her room consisted of the garden hose and a piece of rope attached to the valve on the end. When Lincoln stepped on it, he got sprayed with water, then he rushed into Lisa and Lily's room. Once Lincoln entered the room, he stepped on a catapult that launched a bunch of oatmeal balloons and some of Lisa's old chemicals at him, but he quickly rushed out of the room and slammed the door shut before they could hit him.

"Looks like my room is last," Lincoln sighed in frustration. "I'd better get this over with so we can all enjoy our day".

In the attic, Luan watched as Lincoln headed straight towards his room and pulled open the door open.

"Man, wait until he sees what's in there" she snickered as she watched Lincoln enter his room.

Once he was inside, Lincoln saw what looked like a party ball sitting on his bed. When he approached it and tried to touch it, the ball exploded like a fire cracker and showered Lincoln with confetti and whipped cream. He was about to leave the room when he noticed something laying in the center of the split open party ball.

"What's this?" Lincoln wondered as he pulled the ball apart to see what was inside it, but the what he saw was very unpleasant and shocking.

"No..." Lincoln gasped in shock at what he saw.

Sitting on the bed in pieces was none other than Bun-Bun, his stuffed rabbit that he had kept since he was Lily's age. Both of Bun-Bun's arms had been blown off along with his right ear and lay on the bed. His body also had a few char marks from the fire crackers, but not any non-repairable damage thankfully.

Lincoln picked up the damaged stuffed rabbit in his trembling hands and felt his anger boil. There were more than enough pranks that Lincoln could withstand, but this one crossed the line big time. Bun-Bun was his best friend to him, and Luan treated the stuffed rabbit like it was some toy or prop to be used as fodder for her pranks. Lincoln set the rabbit down on his bed and turned back towards the door with an enraged look on his face.

"Luan Loud, where the hell are you?! Your gonna pay for this one!" Lincoln yelled angrily.

Luan still smirked and snickered at his temper, but couldn't help but wonder if maybe she'd gone a bit too far. She then watched Lincoln head for the stairs on the camera, wondering where he'd go next. It didn't take long for Luan to figure that out; he was headed for the kitchen.

"I swear, I'm _really_ gonna teach that prankster a lesson when I get my hands on her. This time, she's gone too far!" Lincoln hissed furiously as he headed straight for the kitchen.

However, he was so focused on finding Luan that he didn't notice the trip wire at the kitchen entrance. As Lincoln headed for the kitchen, he tripped over the transparent cable in the doorway before he even noticed it, breaking it in the process.

"Hey! What in the- WHAA!" Lincoln yelled as he slipped and fell into the smelly bacon grease where he slid across the floor and slammed hard into the fridge.

Lincoln hit the fridge so hard that it caused it to wobble back and forth, spilling the bucket of water balloons all over the floor around him and getting him wet. Luan laughed her head off as she watched Lincoln flip his sack on the camera, but what happened next was something she never even suspected would happen. The loose footleg on the fridge finally gave away from the force of impact and broke off, causing the fridge to fall forward. Lincoln quickly tried to get out of the way, but he wasn't fast enough unfortunately. The heavy fridge fell directly on him, causing Lincoln to let out a blood curdling scream of agony and pain, but his screams were soon silenced after a sickening crunch was heard from beneath the toppled fridge, then everything was silent.

Luan's laughter stopped, and her joy and amusement quickly turned to fear, horror, and dread as she watched the whole scene unfold before her eyes on the camera feed from her Ipad. She couldn't believe what had just happened, nor did she even suspect something like this would happen.

"Oh god, no! Lincoln!" Luan gasped in horror.

She quickly threw the Ipad down onto an old bean bag nearby and rushed down the ladder and out of the attic as quick as a road runner. Once Luan made it down the stairs and into the kitchen, she found the fridge laying on top of Lincoln, but that wasn't the worst thing she saw. From under the fridge, Luan saw a small puddle of blood forming beneath the top of it. At this point, Luan knew she was in deep trouble, but that was the least of her worries. She tried with all her might to lift the fridge off of Lincoln, but it was far too heavy, yet her fear and desperation caused a massive adrenaline rush to flow through her. With one final effort, Luan put all her strength into her arm muscles and pushed the fridge as hard as she could, finally lifting it off Lincoln and off to the side. However, nothing could have prepared her for what she saw.

"No... NO!" Luan cried out in absolute horror.

Lincoln lay unconscious on his side with a massive bloody bruise on his forehead which drenched his white hair red with blood, a black left eye, and a few broken teeth. His right forearm had gotten it the worst however. It was not only broken, but the bone had pierced through the skin and could be seen protruding out the side of his forearm. This was the source of the blood that had pooled beneath Luan's feet. She checked him for a pulse, fearing the worst had happened, but she felt a pulse running through his neck; he was alive to her relief.

"Lincoln, Lincoln, LINCOLN," Luan cried, shaking her brother in a desperate attempt to wake him up. "Wake up, Lincoln! Please wake up! Please!".

Lincoln didn't even stir, which made Luan begin to panic. She knew without a doubt that that she'd be grounded for life, but Luan didn't care anymore. She rushed out of the kitchen and headed for outside.

...

...

Meanwhile in Lisa's bunker, the rest of the Loud family grew a bit concerned about how long Lincoln was taking.

"Lincoln's sure taking a long time in there. I wonder if he's okay" Lola wondered.

"I'm sure he's fine, kids. Lincoln's dealt with this before, so I'm sure he can handle Luan" Rita assured her.

Before anyone could say anything else, a loud rapid bang erupted from the bunker door, catching everyone's attention. Lori glanced at the door window, thinking it was Lincoln, but she only saw Luan.

"Luan, I already told you once before; get away from-" Lori was suddenly cut off by Luan.

"Guys, open up! You've got to help me!" She yelled frantically, banging on the door again.

"No chance, Luan. You think we're gonna fall for that trick? We're not as stupid as you think" Lana scoffed in disbelief.

"She's right, Luan," Luna added. "Your just gonna pull a prank on us if we open this door".

"PLEASE! LINCOLN'S HURT! HE'S HURT REAL BAD! HE'S LOSING BLOOD!" Luan practically screamed.

That got everyone's attention big time. At first, some of the girls thought this was a scare tactic to get them all to come out, but they immediately knew that something was terribly wrong when they noticed the tears in Luan's eyes.

"Girls, I don't think she's lying" Rita said with a fearful tone.

"We'd better get up there now" Lynn Sr rushed up towards the bunker door and unlocked it.

Once he opened it, he lead the rest of the family out of the bunker where Luan stood nearby in tears. When Lynn Sr and the others noticed how frightened Luan looked, they all knew at once that something bad happened.

"Luan, where's Lincoln? And what happened to him?" Rita demanded.

"He's in the kitchen! The... the fridge fell on him" Luan stammered, wiping tears from her eyes.

Not even saying another word, the whole family rushed into the house faster than ever before where Lynn Sr and Rita made their way into the kitchen, completely unprepared for what they saw.

"OH MY GOD!" Rita screamed in horror and ran to Lincoln's side, setting Lily down as she knelt before him.

"Wincoln hurt!" Lily whined, crawling up to Lincoln and tapping his head.

She may have been four years old, but she understood that her brother was in trouble just by looking at the state he was in.

"Lincoln! My god, his arm!" Lynn Sr cried out in absolute shock, rushing up to his mangled son.

As soon as the others made it inside the kitchen, they all gasped in shock at the sight of their brother in his mangled state, even Lucy looked deeply disturbed.

"Lori, call an ambulance, NOW!" Rita yelled in a panicked voice.

Lori called for help on her cellphone while Leni glared over at Luan angrily and shouted, "Luan, what the hell have you done to him?!".

"I..." Luan had no words.

"Hey, why's the fridge on its side?" Luna pointed to the fridge which was now laying on its side where Luan had moved it.

Lynn Sr looked over at the toppled fridge, then over at Luan with rage in his eyes.

"Luan! What in God's name did you do?! Why is the refrigerator knocked over?!" he yelled.

"I... I didn't..." Luan began, but was cut off Lori.

"Mom, I just called the hospital and they're sending help. They said that help will arrive in a few minutes" Lori informed Rita.

"Mom, Lincoln's not dead, is he?" Lucy questioned, not in her usual gloomy tone, but in a frightened manner.

"No, I felt a pulse, but if help doesn't arrive soon..." Rita stopped herself from saying what she was about to say, but she could tell that Lucy understood.

"We'd better find something to wrap his broken arm up in. If Lincoln keeps losing blood at this pace, we may lose him" Lisa informed her siblings in the most serious tone she'd ever spoken.

"I'll get one of the old clean towels from the basement" Lana said, rushing out of the room at break neck speed for the basement.

As Lana left the room, Rita tried desperately to wake Lincoln up, but to no avail. Lynn Sr aggressively demanded Luan to tell him just what had happened, and Luan, not caring if she got in trouble, spilled the beans. She described the prank in the kitchen and how it was supposed to work, then Luan explained how when Lincoln tripped over the now broken trip wire, he slid across the floor and slammed into the fridge which caused it to fall on him.

"And that's what happened," Luan concluded. "But you have to believe me when I say that I had no idea that the fridge would fall on Lincoln. That was never my intention".

"Luan, whether or not you planned to drop the fridge on Lincoln matters not," Lynn Sr said in a surprisingly calm tone, but still with implications of anger. "The fact of the matter is that you did something very reckless without using your head, and because of that, look what's become of Lincoln!".

"Dad's right, Luan," Lori snapped, glaring at Luan. "Did you even consider the facts that your prank might have gone wrong? Did you even think to check the fridge for any signs that what just happened could happen?!".

"You've really done it this time, Luan! This time, you've gone too far!" Leni declared.

"I told you that your pranks would be the death of us one day" Lucy hissed at Luan, actually showing her eyes for the first time, and they looked very angry.

Luan jumped back, startled. Lucy had never been this hostile before, but it was understandable given the current situation. Before anyone else could lecture or berate Luan again, the family all heard the sound of a fire engine horn blasting in the distance along with the wailing of a Q-siren and electronic siren accompanying it.

"That must be the paramedics. I'll go check" Lori said, rushing out of the kitchen and outside the house.

At first, Lori thought that it was a fire engine that she and the others heard, but once she reach the sidewalk, she saw what it actually was. Approaching the house was a large modified red and white Mack truck ambulance with lights flashing and Q-siren wailing. Its electronic PA4000 brand siren was also running, but shut off as the ambulance slowed down next to the red painted curb next to the Loud house, yet the Q-siren slowly wound down even after it came to a complete stop.

Lori then noticed the words, _"CRITICAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE UNIT"_ written on the side of the ambulance, making her feel more tense than ever. These type of modified ambulances were only used for emergencies in Royal Woods for victims suffering serious life threatening injuries, and it was already clear to Lori that Lincoln was in very bad shape.

She never thought that Luan's pranks would eventually lead up to these kind of events, she and the rest of the family never thought it could happen, but how wrong they all were. One of Luan's pranks finally went awry, and now a member of her own family was suffering because of it.

 _"Mom and dad, no, WE should have stopped Luan when they had the chance,"_ Lori thought as the paramedics inside the ambulance opened the rear doors. _"But instead, we all hide in a bunker like cowards every April fools day just hoping Luan will go easy on us, and now look what's happened as a result of our cowardice!"._

Two EMT officers inside the back of the ambulance wheeled a large stretcher out onto the sidewalk with various medical equipment on it, then two others stepped out of the driver and passenger side of the ambulance and walked up to Lori; the EMT driver's nametag read "Nelson River's".

"Are you the one who called us about someone named Lincoln Loud needing immediate help?" The EMT driver asked.

"Yes, I'm his sister, Lori Loud," Lori nodded. "My parents and sisters are with Lincoln in the kitchen".

"Can you lead us to them?" Nelson asked.

"Yes, right away. You'd best hurry, cause he's hurt real bad" Lori said, leading the paramedics into the house.

Once inside, Lori lead the EMT's into the kitchen where they found Lynn Sr trying to revive Lincoln and Rita gently wrapping an old towel around his broken forearm; Lincoln's sisters stood nearby.

"Mom, they're here" Lori announced, stepping aside to allow the EMT's in the kitchen.

Rita looked up and said, "Oh thank God!".

"Move aside, ma'am. We need to check him out" Nelson instructed.

Once she and Lynn Sr were out of the way, the EMT officers lowered the stretcher bed and wheeled it next to Lincoln. Nelson instructed the other three EMT's to slowly lift Lincoln onto the stretcher. As they did, the blood soaked towel accidentally fell off Lincoln's broken forearm, exposing the bone.

"Jesus Christ! What the hell happened to this kid? One of the paramedics exclaimed.

"Poor kid looks like a train hit him" the other one exclaimed as Lincoln was laid out gently on the stretcher.

The three EMT's unloaded their equipment which consisted of a heart monitor, respiratory mask and respirator, bandages, and a splint to hold Lincoln's broken forearm in place.

As they hooked up Lincoln to the heart monitor and respirator, Nelson looked over at Rita and Lynn Sr and asked, "Are you two this boy's parent's?".

"Yes, I'm Rita Loud, and Lynn Sr here is his father" Rita replied, still sounding very shook up.

"How long has he been unconscious?" Nelson asked.

"Since before you got here. He fell unconscious when the fridge fell on him" Lynn Sr replied.

"Then its possible that Lincoln suffered a bad concussion. In any case, we need to get him to the ER right away" Nelson replied, rushing over to assist his fellow EMT's.

Lincoln was now fully hooked up to the heart monitor, his broken forearm had been bandaged, strapped, and held in place to the metal splint, and the respirator mask had been placed over his nose and mouth. Just then, the alarm on the heart monitor went off, alerting everyone in the kitchen.

"Oh god," Nelson said as he glanced at the heart monitor, then at the EMT's. "Get him into the ambulance now! And increase the oxygen while your at it!.

"What's going on? What's happening?" Rita panicked as the EMT's began wheeling Lincoln out of the kitchen as quickly as they could.

"His oxygen levels are dropping," Nelson informed. "Probably from the blood loss and other possible internal injuries we don't know about yet. We need to to move now, or we could lose him".

At the mention of Lincoln possibly dying, his sisters began to tense up with fear and dread, and Luan began crying softly again. Rita and Lynn Sr followed Nelson and the other EMT's out the door with Lincoln's sisters in tow and headed towards the large ambulance.

"Is there any possibility of us going with him? I want to be by my son's side" Rita asked.

"You and your husband should fit, but the rest of your family will have to remain here or find another way to follow along" Nelson informed.

"All right," Rita turned to Lori. "Lori, me and your dad are riding with Lincoln. Take Lily and the rest of your sisters and follow us to the hospital in the van".

Lori nodded and took Lily from Rita, then ordered her sisters to file inside the family van, which they did in a heartbeat. Luan sat farthest away in the back, still crying and not saying a word.

Once Lincoln was safely inside the ambulance, Rita and Lynn Sr climbed inside and pulled the doors shut.

"Hang on back there, you two," Nelson advised. "We'll be traveling at very high speeds on our way".

He then started the engine, switched on the emergency lights and headed off, switching on the PA4000 siren once they were on the road. The EMT officer in the passenger seat began blaring the Q-siren and air horns as the ambulance hit traffic ahead. Outside, Lynn Sr saw Lori and the others following close behind the ambulance in vanzilla.

The two EMT's worked frantically to keep Lincoln stable as they increased the level of oxygen in the respirator and examined his head and chest. They had to remove Lincoln's shirt to do this, and when they did, large purple blotches could be seen near the right side of his chest.

"Shit! This is bad," the EMT officer on the left cursed, then looked over at the small window leading into the passenger compartment. "Nelson, you'd better step on it! Inform the hospital that we've got a code 4-0! This kids in far more danger than we thought!".

"On it" Nelson picked up the radio microphone and called the hospital to inform them of the situation.

"What's wrong with him?! Is he dying?" Rita began to panic.

"He's going to if we don't act now," the EMT said, pulling a shelf open with various surgical tools. "He's got a puncture in his right lung, probably from a few broken ribs. That's the reason Lincoln's losing oxygen; he's basically been slowly choking on his own blood the whole time!"

"Oh god! Lincoln!" Rita began crying.

"What are we going to do?" Lynn Sr panicked.

"We'll have to surgically drain the blood in his lung with a trocar before it collapses completely. If we wait any longer, he'll die. It's miracle that he made it this long on a punctured lung, and that it hasn't collapsed yet" the EMT officer replied, slipping medical gloves on his hands and fetching a large trocar from the shelf.

The other EMT handed him a blood bag with an IV pipe attached to it, then hooked it up to the trocar which he pushed into right the side of Lincoln's chest. Once the trocar was in place, the blood in Lincoln's left lung began draining into the blood bag, restabilizing his respiratory system. The alarm on the heart monitor stopped, but Lincoln's heart rate was still very low.

"Looks like he's stabilized for now, but he's still in very bad shape" the EMT reported.

"Lincoln's not going to die, is he?" Lynn Sr asked worriedly.

"I honestly don't know," the EMT replied, glancing down at Lincoln. "His injuries are very serious, so we can only hope that he pulls through until we reach the hospital".

"Lincoln..." Rita said pitifully.

...

...

Lori and her sisters were far more tense and worried than ever as they followed close behind the ambulance carrying Lincoln and their parents. Lori didn't have to worry much about other cars since the ambulance easily cleared the traffic with its electronic siren, Q-siren, and fire engine air horns. This easily allowed Lori to match her speed with the ambulance, which was currently going at a full 90 MPH, a speed that Lori had never exceeded until now.

"Lori, do you think Lincoln will..." Leni began, trembling as she stared ahead at the ambulance, wondering just what was happening inside.

The rear door windows were tinted, so it was hard for Leni to make out what was going on inside the ambulance.

"Don't say it, Leni," Lori snapped, wiping a tear from her eye. "He's not going to die on us! Lincoln's stronger than you think! I know he'll pull through!".

"This is all Luan's fault! If it wasn't for her and her stupid pranks, this wouldn't be happening!" Lola sobbed.

"Yeah! We all knew something like this would happen one day, and now look what she's done!" Lana added.

"Her pranks have brought only misfortune upon us all" Lucy said coldly.

Luan was probably the only one crying harder than anyone else in the van. She knew for an absolute fact that what her sisters were saying was true, there was no denying it. Luan never thought this could happen, nor did she ever suspect that one of her pranks could go wrong like this. She was the queen of pranks, and she never botched a prank before, so how could this one have gone so awry?

It made precious little difference as to why or how it went wrong, but the fact was that it did, and this was the result of Luan's horrible blunder. Lincoln was now inside an ambulance and on his way to the hospital in critical condition because of what she had done. Luan began to reflect on all the april fools pranks she pulled in the past and finally realized just how foolish and reckless she had been all those times.

Luan had never thought nor considered the possibility that her pranks could have badly injured or even killed one of her parents or siblings doing those times, especially the ones at the hotel. She now started to wonder why she even pulled those pranks in the first place. Luan never intended to hurt anyone, she only wanted to spread her joy of the april fools tradition and get a laugh out of pranking her family as she always did every year, yet she never took it into consideration as to how it made everyone else feel.

And Luan never thought that any of her pranks could go wrong since she had always tested them first, yet she had never even thought to inspect the fridge before setting up the prank that would eventually lead to this horrible event. Luan never even thought the fridge would actually fall over when Lincoln hit it since it was so big and heavy. In hindsight, if the leg had not been so loose, the fridge may have stayed in place instead of falling over on Lincoln like it did.

 _"How could I have been so blind? How did I miss such a small detail like that? I'm so sorry, Lincoln"_ Luan thought, her expression filled with remorse.

Luan didn't know what Lincoln's actual condition was at the moment since he was inside the ambulance, but she could only think of horrible things possibly going on in there. She imagined everything from Lincoln choking to death on his own blood, to suffering full cardiac arrest, possibly ending up brain dead, or worst of all: dead. Luan didn't know how her family would ever forgive her for this, but she could only hope and pray that Lincoln wasn't going to die from his injuries caused by her recklessness.

 _"Lincoln, please don't die on us because of me! I'm so sorry! Please god, don't take my brother from me!"_ Luan prayed silently as she sobbed softly in the very back of the van.

* * *

 **A/N: Poor Lincoln! Who'd have thought that a simple prank could end up causing something like this. This just goes to show how reckless Luan usually is on April fools day. Will Lincoln survive or perish? And will the others forgive Luan for this, or cast her out? You'll find out soon.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey there Loud House fans! This chapter took longer to complete due to some personal issues I've been going through, but its done. Also, my other OC character, Lloyd Florence will be making an appearance in this chapter. So read on and review. Also, with the help of Curious Kitsune654, I've made a few corrections to this chapter as to not cause confusion.**

 **Disclaimer: My OC characters are all that I own.**

* * *

Chapter 2: Remnant Of A Loud

The hospital doors swung open as the Nelson and his EMT's wheeled Lincoln inside and down a long hall leading to the ER with Rita and Lynn Sr following close behind. Once they reached the ER doors however, a nurse stopped the two of them from going any further as several doctors and nurses took Lincoln into the ER.

"I'm sorry, Mr and Mrs Loud, but visitors are not allowed in the ER without permission. You'll need to wait inside the waiting room for now. The doctor will inform you of your son's condition once he's been examined" the nurse informed them.

"No! I won't leave his side" Rita insisted, but Lynn Sr held her back.

"Rita, calm down," he urged her. "There's nothing we can do. We'll only be in the way".

Rita resisted at first, but then gave in when she realized that arguing wouldn't get them anywhere, so she and Lynn Sr followed Nelson into the large waiting room where Lori and her other sisters currently were; they all displayed expressions of fear, sorrow, and uncertainty. Luan was there as well, but she sat far across the room away from the rest of her family, too ashamed to even look at them. Lori was currently texting Bobby and her new collage friends about what had happened to Lincoln when she looked up to see Rita and Lynn Sr enter the room.

"Mom! Dad! How's Lincoln?" Lori questioned worriedly.

"Bad," Lynn Sr answered. "One of his lungs apparently got punctured by a broken rib and filled with blood. The EMT's had to drain it with a trocar in the ambulance so he wouldn't suffocate".

"Oh god" Lori placed her hands up to her mouth in shock.

"Where is he now? Leni asked.

"Lincoln's in the ER," Lynn Sr answered. "They're examining him now, but they'll notify us of his condition once they've thoroughly examined him".

"Well, I just hope Lincoln doesn't die on us" Lucy replied in a worried tone.

"Don't say that, Lucy," Rita scolded. "Lincoln's a very strong kid. He'll pull through, I know he will".

...

...

Meanwhile in the ER, Lincoln was currently being run through a CT X-Ray unit by a doctor named Lloyd Florence and four nurses. He had recently transferred from the hospital in Teaneck New Jersey to Royal Woods Michigan a year ago and was known as the best doctor and surgeon in all of Royal Woods. Before Lloyd became a surgeon back in Teaneck, he served as an EMT officer in the Teaneck Volunteer Ambulance Corps for five years and had responded to many cases of prank involved injuries, some involving broken arms and legs to dislocated jaws and fractured hips, but this was by far the worst he'd ever seen.

Lloyd had been informed by Nelson about the cause of Lincoln's injuries and had pretty much guessed that he was in for some very unpleasant results, and he was correct about that. In the CT scan results displayed on the computer screen in front of Lloyd, it showed a massive skull fracture in Lincoln's forehead with a piece of shattered skull actually _embedded_ into the frontal lobe of his brain. Lincoln's temporal lobe also showed signs of severe bruising, and the broca's area of the brain and a few other areas also received heavy damage.

Lincoln's spine had also been broken near his waistline area, and as one of the EMT's had suspected earlier, the scan revealed that three of Lincoln's right side ribs had been broken which had caused the puncture in his right lung. His left ribcage also had two broken ribs, but luckily they hadn't punctured his left lung. Lloyd didn't know how it was possible for a fourteen year old kid that received injuries to this extent to still be alive, but by some miracle or perhaps by devine intervention, Lincoln was able to pull through. Lloyd knew without surgery though, Lincoln wouldn't survive for long.

"This is far worse than I thought," Lloyd said, turning to the nurses. "We need to get him to the surgery room right away. I'll need to operate immediately".

"Right away, Doc" one of the nurses nodded, then she and the other nurses rushed into the CT scan room with a stretcher.

"This is going to take awhile," Lloyd said as he watched Lincoln being gently laid on the stretcher through the glass window of the room separating him from the scanner chamber and the analysis chamber. "I'll need to fix his skull, try and mend his spine the best I can, then reset the broken bone in his forearm and ribcage".

A few minutes later, Lincoln was in the surgery room being prepped for the long surgery by Lloyd and his team of nurses. An IV needle with sleeping medication was inserted into Lincoln's left arm, a few areas of his head shaved for the brain surgery, and a heart monitor and respirator was hooked up to him. They also had to strip Lincoln down to just his socks and underpants in order to reach the areas where the surgery would be performed for his spine. After doing this, the surgery began.

...

...

It was around 5:14 PM by the time Lincoln's surgery was fully complete, and his parents and siblings were still patiently waiting for the results. A nurse had informed them several hours ago that Lincoln would be heading into surgery, yet they weren't informed as to how long it would take, nor to what internal injuries he had received.

"Mom, do you think Lincoln will be all right after this?" Lola asked, still worried.

"I don't know, Lola," Rita replied. "We'll just have to see what the doctor says".

As if on cue, the doors to the ER opened and a doctor with brown crew cut style hair entered the room; it was Lloyd. He noticed the Loud family all waiting in the corner of the waiting room and headed towards Rita and Lynn Sr.

"Hello there, you must be Mr and Mrs Loud, I presume?" he greeted.

"Yes," Rita stood up. "I'm Lincoln's mother, Rita Loud. Lynn Sr here is my husband, and these ten girls here are our children".

Lloyd was surprised at how many siblings Lincoln had. He'd never met a family with this many children before, yet this made Lloyd feel a bit bad due to the results he had from Lincoln's condition. He hated being the bearer of bad news, and this was definitely one of those times.

"I'm Dr. Lloyd Florence, the one who performed the surgery on your son, Lincoln Loud" Lloyd introduced himself.

"Oh doc, please tell me Lincoln's all right" Rita practically pleaded.

"He's still alive, right?" Lana asked Lloyd.

Lloyd sighed and then said, "Yes, he's alive, and he'll live".

Rita and the rest of her family looked greatly relieved, including Luan, and Lynn Sr said in a thankful tone, "Oh thank God!".

But Lloyd held out his hand and said in a firm tone, "You didn't let me finish. Now, I said that Lincoln will live, but I wouldn't exactly call it living".

Rita, Lynn Sr, and the rest of the family frowned in both confusion and concern.

"What do you mean, Doctor Florence?" Lynn Sr asked in concern.

Lloyd took a deep breath, then said in regretful tone, "What I mean is that Lincoln will live, but he'll never be the same again. The injuries he received from that refrigerator falling on him were extremely severe, so much so that I can't understand how he didn't die from it; Lincoln should be dead, but he isn't. His spine got broken near his waistline area, so he'll be paralyzed from the waist down, meaning he'll be confined to a wheelchair for the remainder of his life. Because of this, his back will also be in constant agony for the rest of his life as well. Lincoln won't be able to so much as twist himself left or right without causing himself pain. I did my best to try and repair the spinal damage, but it was too severe to completely fix, so Lincoln's not going to be walking ever again".

"No! Lincoln..." Rita gasped in shock and began to tear up.

Lynn Sr and the others looked just as shocked, but Luan looked even more shocked. She also began to cry again as well.

"Yes," Lloyd said sadly. "Like I said, its bad. But I sorry to say that this isn't even the worst of it".

"W-what are you saying?" Rita asked with tears in her eyes.

Lloyd was almost too afraid to speak, worried about how the family would react, but he knew that they deserved to know the truth.

Sighing with a bit of hesitation, Lloyd said, "Lincoln's brain received possibly some of the worst damage imaginable. His skull got severely fractured and cracked in several areas which damaged and impaired some of his higher brain functions, the worst part being his forehead. A piece of Lincoln's cracked skull actually got _stabbed_ into the frontal lobe of his brain from the force of impact, and his temporal lobe was bruised very badly which damaged his cerebral cortex. Because of this, Lincoln will end up with severe memory loss. He may not remember who you are, or even who he himself is. Overtime as his brain heals, he might recover some, but not all of his memories; he'll end up having memory gaps because of it. Due to the damage done to his frontal lobe, Lincoln will also no longer be able to form coherent sentences, care for himself, nor eat properly. He'll have to be taken care of the rest of his life, such as being fed, dressed, bathed, and he'll also have to be put in diapers as well until he can be reeducated enough to use the toilet, if even possible. To sum it all up, Lincoln's mind has pretty much ended up being set back to the mindset of a toddler or a mentally retarded person, and it will be this way for the rest of his life. I really mean no offense when I say this, but if it were me in Lincoln's shoes, I'd have much rather preferred death. Because like I said, this isn't what I'd call living".

Time seemed to stand still for the entire Loud family as these horrible words left Lloyd's mouth. They all desperately wished that this was just a horrible nightmare and that they'd wake up safe at home, but there was no way they could deny what they just heard, nor could they fool themselves. They all knew for an absolute fact that it was true, and there was no denying it. Why would the doctor have any reason to lie to them?

"No... no... NO!" Rita broke down in tears, sobbing uncontrollably.

"My... my boy..." Lynn Sr whispered, tearing up as well.

"This... this can't be happening" Lisa whispered with tears in her eyes.

The rest of Lincoln's siblings lost it and began crying uncontrollably as well, even Lily. Luan however, felt sick from hearing what she'd just heard the doctor tell them all; Lincoln was now a shell of his former self, and it was all her fault. She felt the bile rise in her throat, but Luan forced it back as hard as she could, not wanting to show such weakness in front of her family by puking. Luan was seventeen years old now, and she wouldn't let her weak pride get the better of her.

"I'm really sorry, but there's nothing I can do about it. Believe me when I say I tried, but Lincoln's injuries were just far too severe to completely fix" Lloyd said with a sad face.

"Where is he now?" Rita asked, wiping tears from her face.

"He's in the recovery room right now, but he's not conscious yet. The anesthesia hasn't fully worn off yet, so Lincoln will be asleep for at least another hour or so" Lloyd answered.

"Can we see him?" Lynn Sr asked.

"Yes, I'll show you all to the recovery room" Lloyd said, leading Rita and Lynn Sr towards the ER doors with their daughters following behind them.

Beyond the doors was a long T-shaped hall with a sign on the wall at the end. The left hall lead to the surgery room, and the right hall lead to the recovery room. Two doors near the ER entrance lead to an X-ray room and the CT scan room where Lincoln had been examined hours earlier. Lloyd lead the Loud family down the right hall and into a large rectangular white room with six hospital beds against the wall. Five of them were empty, but the bed farthest to the left was occupied by none other than Lincoln, now in a blue hospital gown with the front slightly open.

He had an IV needle in his left arm which supplied his body with fluids to keep him hydrated, a cast around his right arm, and bandages around his chest and head. A heart monitor was also hooked up to Lincoln's chest to monitor his vitals.

"Lincoln!" Rita gasped, placing her hands to her mouth in shock.

"Bro!" Lana gasped as well, feeling tears running down her face.

"S-son" a teary eyed Lynn Sr stuttered, approaching Lincoln's bed.

Soon, the rest of Lincoln's sister's began crowded his bed, each of them crying softly. Lily even reached her hands out towards Lincoln with a sad expression, but was held back by Lori.

Turning his head to Lloyd, Rita asked, "How long will he need to be here? Will his recovery take awhile?".

"Well, I managed to stitch up his punctured lung and frontal brain lobe with biodegradable stitches and reset his broken ribs. I also reset the broken bone in Lincoln's left forearm and stitched the punctured flesh wound up before putting the cast on it, and I mended his skull and spine the best I could. His broken arm should fully heal in a few weeks or so. However, it will be at least a month or so until Lincoln's internal injuries fully heal, so he'll be in the hospital for at least a month at best" Lloyd explained.

Rita wasn't too surprised by this, nor was Lynn Sr and the rest of the family. With the amount of injuries Lincoln sustained, it was no surprise that he'd be hospital bound for a long period of time recovering.

Walking up to the bed, Lola tapped Lincoln's shoulder and said, "Lincoln, Lincoln! Can you hear me? Wake up".

"Miss, he's not conscious yet. The sleep medication won't wear off for about another hour" Lloyd informed the young beauty queen.

"Will he really forget all of us forever?" Lola asked Lloyd fearfully.

"I really don't know, kiddo," Lloyd replied sadly. "Like I said earlier, Lincoln may recover a little of his memories, but not all of them. He may not remember who all of you are, but he might recognize a few of you. I can only hope that Lincoln recovers enough of his memory that he doesn't forget all of you".

"Can we stay with him until he wakes up? I don't want Lincoln to be alone when he awakens" Rita asked.

"Yes, of course," Lloyd nodded. "Visiting hours are from 8 AM to 9 PM. Stay as long as you wish. I have to tend to some other patients right now, so I'll take my leave for now. Just call me or one of the nurses on the bedside speaker if Lincoln wakes up and we'll be here to check on him momentarily".

Lloyd then left the recovery room, leaving the Loud family alone with Lincoln. As soon as they were alone, Rita and Lynn Sr glared over at Luan with very angry expressions, and so did her sisters. The rage that they all had in their eyes made Luan feel like a tiny little calf being cornered by an angry wolf.

"Luan, I'm going to ask you only once, and you'd better answer me honestly. Do you know what you've done?" Lynn Sr asked in a surprisingly calm tone, but Luan could tell he was furious.

"I... I... no..." Luan sniffed nervously; she was too upset to speak the truth.

"You don't? I have a very hard time believing that" Lynn Sr said coldly, thinking that Luan hadn't been paying that close attention to what Dr. Lloyd had just told all of them.

Luan just shook her head no and said, "I... I didn't mean for any of this to happen, you've got to believe me, I swear! I didn't know that leg on the fridge was loose enough to where it would cause it to fall on Lincoln".

"Luan, it doesn't matter weather or not you knew the leg was loose. I'm very sure you didn't intend to drop the fridge on Lincoln, but it was the cause and effect of your recklessness" Rita chimed in.

"I... I'm sorry! I didn't want this to happen! I'll never prank anyone again, I swear!" Luan insisted with tear forming in her eyes again.

"Luan, do you have any idea how many times we've all heard you say that? How you'll change your ways and stop pulling pranks on us on April fools day and so on? Well, I hate to break it to you, Luan, but we're not buying that anymore" Lynn Sr replied.

"I... I guess I'm grounded forever..." Luan muttered.

"Oh, your damn right about that, Luan," Lynn Sr snapped angrily. "But that's not all that's going to happen".

"W-what do you mean?" Luan stammered nervously.

"As soon as we return home, I want you to go up to your room and remove every single prank prop, joke book, and anything that falls under the comedy category from it and have them ready to go to Good Will," Lynn Sr instructed firmly. "As of today, your career as a prankster and a comedian is over!"

"What?! But comedy is my life long dream!" Luan protested.

"I'm sorry, Luan," Lynn Sr said, shaking his head. "But we can't allow you to pursue that career path any longer. The damage you've caused to this family and to Lincoln because of your path as a comedian... is irreversible, and unforgivable. Every single year during april fools day, you find new and sometimes very reckless ways to pull pranks on our family, and in _my_ house! Your mother and I are full grown adults, and what do we do rather than stand up for the family and put a stop to you? We _hide_ in a military grade bunker like a bunch of cowards and let you have your way! Well, for the first time in our lives, your mother and I are growing a thicker spine and taking a stand this time! As of today, pranking, telling puns or jokes of any sort is officially and strictly taboo in our household! Also, like I said, you are to get rid of everything in your room that falls under the comedy category, with the exception of your dummy, Mr. Coconuts".

"And just so you know, Luan," Rita said firmly. "This is not a prank to get back at you like last year with the stunt actors. This time, we're being deadly serious here. And in addition to this, you will no longer be allowed to work in that joke shop of yours. Your father and I will find a part-time job for you in order to help us pay for all of Lincoln's hospital bills, and you will also be required to help us take care of him for as long as you live in our house".

"And also, your grounded for the remainder of the year for what you have done! Let's just pray to God and Heaven above that Lincoln doesn't die from this" Lynn Sr concluded.

Luan felt beyond horrible, and not just because she wasn't allowed to pursue her career or from being grounded, but because of what Lincoln had been reduced to as a result of her failed prank. She could only hope that Lincoln would forgive her, if he still even knew who she was and was still capable of doing so.

"He... he won't die... right?" Luan stammered.

"The doctor said Lincoln will live, but from the injuries he described to us...," Rita paused and shook her head. "I just don't know...".

"I... I'm sorry! I..." Luan whimpered.

"Shut up, Luan! Just shut your damn mouth! I don't want to hear anymore of how sorry you are," Lynn Sr snapped coldly. "If you are really sorry, then you'll live with the consequences of your actions, and you'll start by doing what your mother and I told you to do! Your seventeen years old and almost a legal adult, so your going to be treated like an adult and face the consequences like an adult!".

Luan just cowered away from the hospital bed, saying nothing else.

...

...

About an hour later in the recovery room, Lincoln began to slowly open his eyes. His parents and sisters were unaware of it at first since they were all sitting in chairs alongside the wall, yet his mother's attention was drown to him when he let out a grunt from his bed.

"Lincoln?" Rita said, gazing up from Lily in her lap at the hospital bed.

Lynn Sr and the others also turned their attention to Lincoln's bed as he opened his eyes fully, yet still visibly dazed from the sleep medication.

"Uh...?" Lincoln muttered in a weak, slurred voice.

"Lincoln!" Lynn Sr exclaimed in relief, rushing up to Lincoln's hospital bed.

The rest of his family soon gathered around the bed, including Luan who made direct eye contact with Lincoln in hopes that he'd still recognize her. Lori called for Dr. Lloyd on Lincoln's bedside speaker and informed him that Lincoln had awoken from his sleep.

"Lincoln," Luan began shedding tears of remorse. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry this happened to you! I never meant for this to happen, I swear! Please forgive me!".

Lincoln didn't respond, but he did widen his eyes and tilt his head to the left a bit with a somewhat confused and dumbfounded expression on his face. He then turned his head to the left, then to the right and grunted, as if he had no idea where he was or what had happened.

"L-Lincoln? It's me, Luan," Luan said nervously. "Don't you recognize me?".

Lincoln looked back at her, then said in a mentally retarded tone, "Loo...ann? Who yo?".

Luan stepped back in shock and gasped, "No!".

"He... he doesn't know who you are, Luan" Leni said on the verge of tears.

"Why is he talking like that?" Lana wondered.

"Lincoln can't speak right because of the damage done his brain like the doctor said, remember?" Lisa replied.

Just then, Dr. Lloyd entered the room and approached Lincoln's bed.

"Ah, so he _is_ awake," Lloyd replied, lifting up a clipboard in his hand. "I'll need to ask him a few questions to see how much he remembers".

Lincoln looked up at Dr. Lloyd with the same confused look as he had when looking at Luan, then tried to speak again.

"Hoo... are... yo?" Lincoln said, struggling to speak right.

"I'm Dr. Lloyd Florence," Lloyd answered, opening a pen with his other hand. "Your in the Royal Woods Hospital. You had an accident involved with one of your sisters pranks. Do you remember anything? And do you still recognize anyone in this room?".

Lincoln didn't seem to understand what Lloyd was asking due to the brain damage, but he appeared to be trying to process what was going on around him. Lincoln looked down at himself, then up at Lloyd with a slight frown.

"Wh... wha" Lincoln stuttered, desperately struggling to speak properly.

Rita and Lynn Sr teared up as they heard Lincoln ask that question. Had he lost all his memories? Had he really forgotten who all his family members were?

"Lincoln, it's us, your family," Rita practically pleaded, grabbing his hand. "It's me, your mother! Please remember!".

"Ma? Yo' ma?" Lincoln asked, still dazed.

"Ma'am, I don't think he recognizes you, or any of the rest of your family," Lloyd said, writing notes on his clipboard. "Like I said before, it may be awhile until some of Lincoln's memories return. His cerebral cortex got badly damaged, so its going to be awhile until it heals enough for him to recover some of his memory".

"So he'll remember us when that happens, right?" Rita asked.

"Perhaps, but it'll be impossible to tell as of now, but we'll know in a few weeks or so," Lloyd answered, turning back to Lincoln. "Lincoln, I don't know if can understand me yet, but do you recognize anyone in this room? Can you remember anything at all?".

"Re... re... mem... ver?" Lincoln stammered, looking over at his parents and sisters with a hazy expression.

He stared long and hard at them, then slowly turned his head towards Rita and his eyes widened at bit, then he said, "Ma? Ma...ma?".

Rita nodded and grasped his good hand with both her hands and said in a sad voice, "Yes baby, its me, your mother! Do you still recognize me?".

Lincoln looked directly at his mother with tears running down her face, then he said with a slow nod, "Ma, you... ma".

A relieved expression came over Rita's face when she heard Lincoln's reply. He apparently had his memory of her, but she wasn't sure if Lincoln would remember the rest of his family yet.

"Who... who vey'?" Lincoln asked, pointing at his sister's.

Rita glanced at them and said, "They're your sisters, Lincoln, and your dad is the person next to me. You remember them, right?".

Lincoln just stared at his father and sister's who all had tears in their eyes along with worried expressions. He looked at each one, then grunted in a confused manner, as if he had trouble guessing who they were.

"Uh uh" Lincoln grunted, shaking his head slowly.

Rita felt a jolt of sorrow rush through her when he said that, but she remembered what Lloyd had said about his memory gap due to his damaged cerebral cortex. She could only hope that over time, Lincoln would remember his sister's as his brain healed.

"Hmm, it appears that Lincoln seems to remember you, Ms. Loud. However, he doesn't seem to remember his father or sister's yet. Hopefully, that might change once his brain heals over time" Lloyd said, writing notes on his clipboard.

"I... I hope so" Rita said in a worried tone.

"Does he even know where he is or what's happened to him?" Lynn Sr asked.

"Lincoln seems to be aware of something being out of place, but I doubt that he's able to understand the current situation going on here," Lloyd answered. "Remember, his mind has reverted back to a toddler like state due to the extreme brain damage he suffered from that fridge falling on him. From what I've analyzed here, Lincoln still attains some higher forms of communication, such as understanding speech and body language. However, as you can all see, he's unable to speak properly or form full sentences due to the brain damage he received. Frankly, I'm amazed that Lincoln is able to still even understand human speech this early in his recovery, let alone speak. This was something I didn't expect".

"At least Lincoln still remembers his mother" Lynn Sr said with a bit of relief.

Lincoln just continued to turn his head left and right, staring out at the walls and at his family a few times, but he appeared to be lost in his own world and completely naive to anything that had happened back at the house. His expression was now that of a mentally retarded personal, completely devoid of any emotion, yet Lincoln appeared to realize that something was off since he was in a hospital bed with bandages all over him.

Dr. Lloyd was also amazed that Lincoln was even able to speak at all this early in his recovery, let alone understand human speech. He had never dealt with children that had received injuries this severe, yet Lloyd had seen a few patient's brought in with very similar injuries in the past that had resulted from high speed vehicle crashes. Lloyd recalled seeing a teenage patient a year ago that had been paralyzed from the waist down and received heavy brain damage from a DUI crash involving a big rig driver.

The big rig driver had passed out drunk behind the wheel of his truck and hit a small Scion XD at a full 85 MPH, mortally wounding the male teenage driver inside it. His injuries were almost as bad as Lincoln's, but unlike Lincoln, he didn't survive the trip to the hospital and succumbed to his injuries which resulted in his death. Lloyd could only hope that Lincoln wouldn't meet the same fate, even if he wouldn't be exactly living like he had stated earlier.

"This is probably the only patient I've seen survive this long after receiving the type of injuries Lincoln received. None of the other patients I've seen in the past survived injuries like this for more than an hour, yet Lincoln is still living and breathing" Lloyd said.

Rita looked at Lloyd and asked, "How many patients have you seen that got injured the way Lincoln did?".

"If I remember correctly, about four, and they were all adults with the exception of one being a teenage driver. But unlike Lincoln here, none of them survived for more than an hour or two at best, so I have to say that he's the luckiest kid alive," Lloyd answered. "I'm not denying devine intervention being a possibility given the circumstances here. Normally, any person at this age would usually die from having a heavy appliance like a refrigerator dropped on them, but Lincoln survived it".

"But how will he live?" Lori asked.

"He'll have to be looked after for the rest of his life like I mentioned before," Lloyd answered. "Lincoln will have to be confined to a wheelchair since he's paralysed from the waist down, and he'll definitely have to be reeducated since his minds been set back to a toddler like state due to the brain damage he received from the prank accident. Since he'll outlive your parents, you and your sisters will need to look after him when the time comes. I know this may be hard for all of you, but this is how it's got to be".

Lincoln's parent's and sister's all gazed at him with tears in their eyes, including Luan. She no longer cared that she was grounded or forced to give up comedy for life, not after seeing just how bad Lincoln really was after waking up. Luan would gladly give it all up just to see her brother back to normal again, but she knew this was impossible. Luan now began reflecting on all the times that her parents and sisters had warned her to stop with the pranks, and how she had promised many times over that she'd go easy on them from now on, only to go back on her word afterwards. And now as a result of Luan's recklessness, Lincoln had almost been killed.

 _"I should have just quit when you all said to,"_ Luan thought as tears drenched her face. _"I'm so sorry, Lincoln! Your like this because of me, and its all my fault!"._

Luan knew that her apologies would never make up for the mistake she had made, but she could only hope that her family would forgive her as time went on, and she prayed that Lincoln would remember her over time once he recovered from his injuries. Luan didn't know if Lincoln would forgive her if his memory of the events returned once his brain healed, but she could only hope that his mind wasn't too far gone for him to still understand forgiveness.

For Luan, things seemed hopeless, and she didn't know what to do. Luan had no doubt that her friends and Lincoln's friends would hate her very existence once they learned about what had happened to Lincoln as a result of her reckless pranking, but she couldn't blame anyone but herself if it came to that. This was a burden that Luan knew she'd bear for the rest of her life, and she'd take it to her grave. Comedy meant nothing to Luan now, only her brother.

 _"Forgive me, Lincoln"_ Luan thought, glancing over at Lincoln who made brief eye contact with her.

And for just a brief second, Luan could have sworn she noticed a spark of recognition in his eyes.

* * *

 **A/N: Wow, Luan really messed up worse than she thought. Lincoln's now a shell of his former self because of her. But how will his friends handle this? And will Luan ever get over her guilt? You'll find out later on.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey there, Loud House fans, I've decided to make a few changes to this story since the previous arc of Luan being tormented in a virtual hellish nightmare just didn't seem right to me, so I'll be making a few changes to this chapter and the former chapter six. The chapter numbers will also be changed as a result to this, and I'll also be narrating and reuploading the revised chapters on my Youtube channel under the name "SkyRunner SG-1". If you haven't seen my channel yet, you should all go check it out and sub to it if you haven't yet. I'll be continuing the rest of the story after the revisions are done. I'm so glad that you've all stuck beside me since I started this story two years ago; can't believe its now 2020! Until then, enjoy this revised chapter and happy new year!**

 **Disclaimer: My OC characters are all that I own.**

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Chapter 3: Luan's Lament

Luan stared out of her window into the night, feeling completely devastated and heartbroken over Lincoln's accident. It had been a few hours since she and the rest of her family returned home from the hospital, and Luan felt more restless than she'd ever been in her life. Luan couldn't understand why everyone else was able to sleep peacefully after everything that had happened, because she certainly wasn't able to. Because of her April Fools pranks, Lincoln had been reduced to a vegetative state for the rest of his life, and would also never walk again because of his shattered spine.

For the last hour, Luan had reflected on all of her previous April Fools pranking sprees and how reckless she realized they had all really been. The prank traps she had used the year Ronnie Anne had been invited to the Loud house could have badly hurt Lincoln or Ronnie Anne had they not been so lucky, but the incident at the hotel was probably the most reckless and dangerous pranking spree Luan had ever done.

Her entire family could have gotten badly hurt or even killed had Luan not made precise calculations to the pranks set up in the hotel, but last years April Fools day had been more damaging to her families reputation's rather than their health. Because of the actions performed by the stunt actors, it took almost a year to undo the damage done to the reputations of Luan's family members, and Luan swore at the end of every April Fools day that that'd be the last time she'd prank her family. Yet even after all that, Luan still continued to go back on her word and pull pranks on her family every April Fools day, and now her only brother was a shell of his former self because of it.

Luan wondered why she even did all of that to her family to begin with. She had just been trying to spread her joy of the April Fools tradition each year, but she never even took any consideration into what her parents and siblings thought about it, nor how it made them feel. Luan was the only person who enjoyed pranking others on April Fools day, yet the rest of her family absolutely hated it with a passion.

Although her parents never really took a stand against her, Lincoln had finally decided that he'd taken enough of Luan's pranks and took a stand against her for his parents. She even recalled Lincoln's reaction when he saw his stuffed rabbit Bun-Bun half destroyed from the explosive party ball in his room, and this thought brought tears to Luan's eyes. He had been emotionally hurt and angered from seeing his best friend blown to pieces, and Luan had just laughed at all of it, thinking it was funny.

She had broken his heart, and for what? Just to get a laugh out of it? If Luan had any sense at all, she would have stopped the pranking when she had the chance, but it was too late for that now. The damage had been done, and now Lincoln would suffer from Luan's recklessness for the rest of his life, and so would her family. Luan wondered if Lincoln even still remembered Bun-Bun at all due to his memory loss, or any of the events that lead him to the hospital for that matter.

It really hurt Luan to think that that was the last thing Lincoln might have remembered before becoming crippled by the fallen fridge. Due to the brain damage however, Luan wasn't sure if he'd remember it, at least not at first. Yet if he did, she could only hope Lincoln would forgive her, if he was still even capable of doing so.

But Luan also remembered that strange look Lincoln gave her when she made direct eye contact with him. Was it possible that seeing her in such a sorrowful and remorseful state somehow sparked something in his memory? Did Lincoln know what Luan had done? Did he recognise her again?

Luan couldn't be sure if that was the case or perhaps it was just some uncontrolled reaction he was experiencing. She was no expert in brain physiology, but if Luan had to guess, Lincoln was probably aware of her appearance and trying to recall who she was. Yet due to the amount of brain damage he suffered, Lincoln was having a hard time doing so. But if that were the case, why did he look at Luan the way he did at that exact moment? It didn't make much sense to her, yet it made very little difference now as it was.

Luan just sighed and turned away from the window, wondering why she always pranked her family the way she did. What drove her to do what she did every April Fools day? Luan remembered the first time she had ever pranked her family on April Fools day back when she was only nine years old. She had snuck several stink bombs under the bed into her parents rooms which went off once they sat down on it. In her siblings rooms, Luan had hung buckets of water balloons above their doors which splattered all over them once they opened them.

Of course, she had gotten scolded for making a mess and for stinking up her parents room with stink bombs, but her parents let her off easy since it was April Fools day. However, as the years progressed, Luan's pranks began to take a more distasteful approach. When she turned ten, Luan pulled off another April Fools prank on her family by sneaking three wild skunks into the house which stank up the place so bad that the family had to stay in a hotel for several days; she got grounded for a week because of it. Age eleven was around the point where Luan really started getting more reckless and rambunctious with her pranks, and from there on, they continued on and on every year.

Despite all the times Luan had promised that she'd ease up and stop pranking her family and other people around her, it never happened, even after the hotel incident. That year was the year Luan had promised her father that the family would be prank free for the next several years if he bought out a hotel for her to qoute on qoute, "Pull off the biggest April Fools prank of all time".

Luan had definitely succeeded in doing just that, but even after that, she still went back on the promise that she made with her father. Deep down, she knew that it was wrong, but her addiction to comedy and pranking had gotten the better of her and she broke her "ten year prank free" promise because of it.

 _"Dad practically bankrupted us just to purchase the land for that fake clown camp and the hotel,"_ Luan thought pitifully. _"I should've just stopped at that point like I promised, but..."._

Luan felt the guilt within her grow even worse as she thought about just how much damage her pranking sprees had really caused the family each year. It had taken a long time for her parents to financially recover from the year that Luan forced Lynn Sr into buying the land for her fake clown camp and the hotel, and her prank props weren't cheap either.

But the following April Fools year was probably the most damaging of all, apart from today. Because of the actions performed by the stunt actors posing as the Loud family, all of Royal Woods believed that Luan's parents and siblings were the real culprits behind all the mischief and tricks that the stunt actors performed, causing her families reputation to be severely damaged.

It was so bad that the actors actually had to issue apologies to the Loud family and to Royal Woods a few days after April Fools day. And yet again, Luan swore never to prank anyone ever again, but she went back on that oath like always. However, Luan _did_ try to take things a bit easier this April Fools day by pranking her family the original way, which was with the use of prank traps. She believed that after all the other times she pranked her family, they deserved a small break, but that didn't mean she'd stop pranking them altogether.

Pranking was like a drug addiction to Luan, and it was too ingrained in her mind to see any way out. Thinking back on all of it now, Luan realized how foolish she had been all these years doing what she had done every April Fools day. Her actions at the hotel two years ago had placed her family in danger, the stunt actor incident the previous year damaged their reputations, and now Luan had ended up severely injuring and crippling her only brother because of her addiction to pranking.

Lincoln was always the man with the plan, but now he'd never be that same person anymore. He'd be lucky if he could ever even speak properly again, let alone make any real progression regarding his mindset due to the extreme brain damage he suffered from being almost crushed to death by a heavy refrigerator. Although Lincoln could clearly still speak, he was incapable of pronouncing words correctly, though it was clear that he still understood what others were saying and had tried to form intelligible words. Yet his speech was greatly impaired due to the damage done to the broca's area of his brain; this was the part of the brain that allowed a person to produce speech.

Luan had indeed caused irreversible damage not only to Lincoln, but to her whole family as well. Her comedic career no longer mattered to her at this point anymore, nor was it fun any longer. It had turned into something horrible and frightening because of her recklessness, and Luan began to wish that she had never chosen comedy as a career path. If she had just chosen a different career path when she was younger, Lincoln wouldn't have suffered the way he did that day.

"What have I done...?" Luan lamented softly, feeling the urge to cry once more as she headed out of her room towards the bathroom.

But as she was about to enter it, she stopped when she noticed something, or rather _heard_ something. Luan heard Lori and Leni speaking in their room and slowly approached the door to their room, not wanting to attract any attention. It was around 11:30 PM and everyone else was asleep, so Luan couldn't understand why those two were still awake. Once she made it to the door, she stopped as she heard Leni speaking to Lori.

"Lori, that's insane! We can't do that!" Leni protested.

"And why shouldn't we?! Luan deserves it for all the hell she put us through every year on April Fools day! Look what happened to Lincoln because of her damn pranking addiction! He's been reduced to vegetable, and your basically telling me that your feeling sympathy for Luan?!" Lori snapped angrily.

"Lori, you think I'm not angry at Luan, is that it? Well, if that's what you think, then your wrong," Leni shot back. "I hate what she did as much as everyone else, but that doesn't mean we should go around trying to get even with Luan just because she made a small mistake".

"Small mistake?! You call nearly killing our brother a _small_ mistake?! Damn it, Leni, your nineteen years old now! Are you still that naive?! Luan messed up big time, and why do you think that is?! Its because we _allowed_ her to do these things and just get away with it all these years! She's seventeen years old and still acts like a rambunctious teenager on pixie dust! Like Mom and Dad said, we acted like cowards and just hid from Luan rather than take a stand and put a stop to her pranking sprees, and now look where Lincoln is because of our cowardice!" Lori hissed.

"But Mom and Dad are doing that now," Leni argued. "Luan's grounded for the rest of the year, and they've banned comedy and pranking in this house forever, so we don't have to worry about her pulling any fast ones on us ever again. Besides, Luan's really traumatized and upset by everything that happened to Lincoln because of her, so she's not likely to be pulling pranks again anytime soon".

"Leni, do you honestly believe Luan will do that? I guarantee you that once all this blows over and the year ends, she'll find ways to prank us again, and you know it" Lori said with a frustrated sigh.

"I don't believe that, Lori," Leni disagreed. "Luan swore at the hospital that she'd never prank anyone ever again, and this time given what happened to Lincoln, I think she really means it".

"Luan was under a lot of pressure at the time, but I don't honestly believe that," Lori replied. "She's said that so many times before, but she always went back on her word. Luan promised Dad after the hotel incident that she'd give us all a prank free decade, and what does she do? She just blows it off and continues on with her damn pranks every chance she gets! Luan has no self control when it comes to this kind of thing! Pranking is like a drug addiction to her, and it almost cost Lincoln his life!".

Luan felt tears running down her face as she listened to Lori ramble on about everything she'd done, and she knew in her heart that Lori was right about all of it.

"I know, but Mom and Dad are finally taking a stand, so why should we worry about Luan now? She won't prank us or anyone else because of the restrictions they set in place" Leni wondered.

"For how long, Leni? How long do you think Luan will go a year from now before she gets the insatiable urge to break these new rules and prank someone else, like our friends or her own friends behind our backs? If Luan _does_ do that, she could end up sending them to the hospital like Lincoln," Lori replied. "Or if the worst comes to pass, she might even end up putting someone in the _Coroner's_ vault! Hell, _that's_ where Lincoln just might have ended up: inside a body bag stuffed in the Coroner's freezer and we'd be planning his funeral arrangements right now if the EMT's arrived at our house too late! Did you ever think to consider that, Leni?".

"To be honest, no," Leni replied. "But that doesn't mean I wasn't fearing for Lincoln's life after that fridge fell on him. I honestly thought he was a goner, but by some stroke of miraculous luck, Lincoln survived and he'll live".

"Yeah, he survived all right, but you heard the doctor. Lincoln's going to be in a wheelchair the rest of his life, and he'll be brain damaged as well, bad enough to the point of having to be basically babied forever. I wouldn't exactly call _that_ living, Leni; Dr. Lloyd even said so himself" Lori retorted flatly.

Sighing, Leni asked, "What's your point in all this?".

"My point, Leni, is that we need to really get it through to Luan just how bad this really is. I don't believe that grounding Luan and depriving her of her comedic career will be enough to get her to stop. I know we're not her parents, but this needs to be done, and Lisa agrees with it as well" Lori answered.

"But I still don't think its a good idea," Leni objected. "It might-".

"I'm perfectly aware of what it does, Leni! Lisa knows too," Lori interrupted. "But she's willing to do it, and I'm pretty sure it'll send a clear enough message to Luan to never pull another prank in this house or anywhere else ever again".

Luan had no idea what to make of this. What was all this talk about negative effects and such? And what did Lisa have to do with any of it? It became clear though that the three of them were most likely planning a way to get even with her for what had happened to Lincoln, and this struck fear into Luan. This caused her to have all sorts of theories of what they'd do to her behind their parents backs.

Was Lisa possibly planning to torture her with some experimental drug? Or perhaps they were planning to drag her into the basement and beat her to a pulp? Luan knew that these thoughts sounded mind numbingly stupid, but given the current circumstances, she couldn't help but imagine the worst.

Luan was almost tempted to enter the room and tell Lori and Leni how sorry she was and that she'd never prank anyone ever again, but she'd already done that so many times before that she lost count, and doubted that they'd believe her. Luan just headed back for her room, stopping short when she saw the door to Lincoln's room wide open. She felt the urge to cry again as she just stood in the center of the hall, starring into the empty room ahead of her.

A part of Luan's mind wanted to assure her that Lincoln was safe in his room, tucked in bed and fast asleep, but she knew that she was only fooling herself. Luan knew that Lincoln was far away from here in a hospital room, a shell of his former self, and that was the cold hard truth that Luan couldn't challenge in any way. She walked up to the doorway leading into Lincoln's small room and felt the tears coming on as she entered it.

As Luan stared at Lincoln's empty bed, she whispered, "I'm so sorry, Lincoln! This is all my fault! Why did I have to pull all those pranks? I don't care about any of it anymore! I just want you back!".

She finally broke down crying as she fell to her knees in front of Lincoln's empty bed, filled with unspeakable remorse for what she'd done to Lincoln, and for all the pranks she'd pulled over the years on her family. Luan didn't know what to do now, or how to face her family anymore after doing what she had done. There was no doubt in her mind that her entire family probably hated her guts for all the pranks and deceptions she'd pulled on them each year on April Fools day.

This was also a day that Luan could never enjoy again in her life. April Fools day had always been her most favorite holiday of all time, but after what happened to Lincoln, Luan would never see April Fools day the same way ever again. This day would always serve as a tragic reminder to Luan of what she'd done to her brother, and how her reckless actions almost sent him to the Coroner's vault.

Every April Fools day would now be the day in which Luan would be forever haunted with the revelation of almost claiming the life of the only brother she had with her reckless pranking spree. In hindsight, Lincoln might as well be dead due to the fact that his brain was so badly damaged that he'd be a vegetable for the rest of his life, never to live out whatever dreams he may have had for his future.

As Luan sobbed on the floor near Lincoln's bed, the door to Lori and Leni's room opened up. Lori stepped out into the hall to see what the source of all the noise in Lincoln's room was and saw Luan bawling her eyes out in front of Lincoln's bed.

"Luan?" Lori exclaimed.

"What's going on, Lori?" Leni asked, stepping out into the hall.

"Its Luan," Lori pointed out. "Looks like she's having a break down over what she did to Lincoln. I can't really blame her, not after everything that's happened".

"Nor can I," Leni said. "Maybe we should speak with Luan, maybe try and comfort her".

"If you want to do that, be my guest," Lori said, glancing briefly at Luan. "But I'm not going to be a part of it. I've no desire to show her sympathy after all that she's done".

"Lori, I don't like what Luan did anymore than you do, but that doesn't mean we should treat her like the scum of the Earth. She's still our sister, and the fact is that Luan really didn't intend to hurt Lincoln, so act a bit more civilized if you please" Leni scolded.

"Oh, so your lecturing me now on how to behave? Is that it?" Lori demanded.

"No, I'm only...," Leni paused with a frustrated sigh, then said, "You know what, Lori? I'm done with this! Do what you want, hate her all you want, but I'm going to help Luan weather you like it or not".

"Then so be it" Lori snapped, then walked back into her room and pulled the door shut behind her.

Sighing, Leni walked into Lincoln's room and up to Luan, who was still sobbing. She reached out and placed her hand on Luan's shoulder, startling her.

"L-Leni?" Luan stuttered, wiping tears from her face.

"Hey Luan, I heard you in here. You okay?" Leni asked, trying to act casual.

"Does it look like I'm okay?! Of course I'm not okay! Lincoln's a vegetable because of me," Luan snapped, glaring at Leni with puffy eyes. "I don't need you to comfort me if that's your intention! I get it! You all hate me for what I did to Lincoln, so if you've come in here to just berate me, just do it and get lost!".

Leni didn't know exactly what to say as Luan wiped tears from her face. She understood that Luan felt sorry for what had happened to Lincoln, yet she still couldn't fully forgive her. A part of Leni told her to have pity on Luan while another part of her urged her to just forget about Luan, but Leni didn't know what to choose. What Luan had done was very serious indeed, but Leni knew deep down that it was only an accident and that she never intentionally wanted to hurt Lincoln.

But even so, it would be a very long time before anyone would be able to forgive Luan entirely due to the severity of what she had caused and the horrible impact it would have on both Lincoln and the rest of the Loud family. This wasn't just some simple accident like a broken leg or arm, no. She had severely injured Lincoln, paralyzed him from the waist down, and had reduced his mind to a state of mental retardation because of her reckless behaviour.

This was something that could never be easily forgiven, especially because Lincoln would end up having to be cared for like a baby or elderly person in a convalescent home for the rest of his life, never to live his normal life the same way ever again.

"Luan," Leni sighed. "I'm not here to do any of that. I'm just concerned about why your in here, that's all. Its almost midnight after all".

"I... I'm just...," Luan didn't know what to say. "I'm so worried about Lincoln. What if something happens to him while he's recovering in the hospital. What if... what if he dies because of me?".

Leni walked up and embraced Luan tightly, feeling truly sorry for her for the first time since Lincoln's life crippling accident.

"Luan, Lincoln's a very strong guy. I'm pretty sure he'll pull through," she assured Luan. "I know that Lincoln won't be the same again, and I'm not exactly happy about that, but I'm glad that he survived at least".

"I... I know," Luan sniffed, hugging Leni. "I understand if you don't forgive me. I know none of you may forgive me for what happened to Lincoln, but I just hope that you'll forgive me for all the years I pranked you and broke my promises to stop pranking every April Fools day. I'm truly sorry about all that, and you and Lori were right; pranking was like a drug addiction to me. If I'd just kept my word and stopped the pranking after the hotel incident...".

Leni felt a slight pang of surprise rush through her when Luan said that. She realized that Luan must have overheard her and Lori talking in their room earlier, meaning that she must have also heard about their talk about "that thing".

"You... heard all that?" Leni asked Luan with a slight bit of worry in her voice.

"Yeah, I did," Luan nodded. "I was heading for the restroom when I heard the two of you speaking to each other. What is this "thing" that your planning to do to me?".

Leni wasn't sure how to respond to this, but she had to think of a way to keep Luan in the dark on the subject. She was also having second thoughts on helping Lori and Lisa go through with this secret plan of theirs; it was just too cruel. Luan didn't deserve it, even after everything she'd done to both Lincoln and her whole family.

"It... it's nothing, Luan," Leni lied. "It was just something that Lori suggested, but Lisa was against it".

"What was it? Just tell me!" Luan insisted.

"She... Lisa and Lori wanted to prank you back for everything you've done, but they were having second thoughts about it at the last moment" Leni replied, knowing that what she was saying was a lie.

"I don't believe you! I heard Lori say that Lisa agrees with whatever your planning to do to me, and I know its not just some prank," Luan snapped. "What's Lisa planning to do?! Torture me? Drug me?".

"Luan," Leni began, but got cut off.

"Do you think I'm just going to break the rules after this year ends and go back to pranking?! Is that it?! If that's what you, Lori, and Lisa think, then your wrong," Luan yelled. "I know I've broken my promises to stop the pranking each year, but I mean it this time when I say I'm never doing it again. After what happened to Lincoln, I... I don't even like the idea of pranking anybody anymore, not after all that's happened".

"I believe you, Luan," Leni said in a comforting voice. "But Lori and Lisa just won't accept it, no matter what I say to them. Trust me though when I say that I won't let them do anything bad to you. I'll speak with Lori and Lisa about it and try to talk some sense into them, but just understand that they're scared, and people don't tend to act rationally when they're scared".

Luan felt a sense of relief knowing Leni would stand up for her despite everything she'd done. It was completely understandable that everyone in the family would be fearing for Lincoln's life as he lay in the hospital recovering from his gruelling injuries, and that they'd also be showing a lot of contempt towards Luan for sending Lincoln there in the first place. Yet Luan had not considered the possibility that one of her sisters would try to get even with her, though she should have expected it.

Luan had, after all, pranked the whole family every year and put Lincoln in the hospital with a broken spine and serious brain damage, so it was only natural that her sisters would want to get back at Luan for all of it.

She embraced Leni again, then said, "T-thank you, Leni. I promise that I'll be a better person from now on, and I truly mean it. I won't prank anyone ever again, and I give you my word on that. I can't let what happened to Lincoln happen again".

"I know you will, Luan," Leni smiled, warmly embracing Luan. "You should get some sleep now, and don't worry about what Lori said. I'll make sure she and Lisa don't try anything funny".

"Yeah, I'm feeling a bit tired now," Luan said. "I should hit the sack now".

"Me too" Leni replied, heading out of the room.

Luan followed her out into the hall after taking one last glance at Lincoln's room, then she headed off back to her bedroom. Once Luan was in her room, Leni entered her room to find Lori sitting on her bed still awake.

"Lori, we need to talk" Leni said firmly.

"About what? Lori asked.

"About this so called plan that you and Lisa thought up," Leni replied. "It isn't necessary, and it's cruel. I just spoke with Luan and I'm very convinced that she won't break her word this time".

"Well _I'm_ not convinced, and neither is Lisa," Lori said flatly. "You think just because Luan broke down sobbing, she's going to keep her word?".

Leni at this point began to lose her cool and said in an angry voice, "Lori, what is wrong with you?! What's it going to take to get it through your head that Luan actually means what she says this time?!".

"Nothing will, Leni! I'm sorry to say this, but after everything that damn prankster has done to us, I can't believe anything that she says!" Lori hissed.

"So, that's how it is, then? Well then," Leni stepped up to Lori's bed and glared aggressively at her. "I'll just let mom and dad know about your secret little plan in the morning".

"Go right ahead! It's not like they'll give a crap about it! They're just as angry at Luan as the rest of us are!" Lori shot back.

Leni felt even angrier than before. The eldest sister in the Loud family was acting like an unreasonable, senseless child, and Leni was tired of it. Worst of all, she didn't even care if her parents found out about whatever it was she and Lisa had planned for Luan.

"You know what, Lori? I'm through with all this nonsense of yours! Until you can learn to act more civilized, you can sleep in here alone! I'm sleeping in the living room!" Leni snapped, then stormed out of the room with a pillow and blanket in her arms.

"Whatever" Lori muttered before shutting the lamp off, bathing the room in darkness.

As Leni headed towards the stairs, she set her blanket and pillow down near the door leading into Lisa and Lily's room, then gently pushed the door open to see Lisa standing near the window holding something in her hands. Leni moved slowly through the room as to try and not wake up Lily and tapped Lisa on the shoulder, catching her attention.

"What? Leni? What are you doing in here?" Lisa asked, obviously not expecting to see anyone in the room.

"You better come outside. We need to talk" Leni answered in a very serious voice.

Lisa frowned at Leni's serious expression and asked, "What such matters of importance could be serious enough that you'd interrupt the solitude of me and my youngest sibling?".

Leni glared at Lisa and said in a firm voice, "Just come outside, now!".

Sighing in frustration, Lisa said, "So be it".

She then followed Leni outside the room and closed the door behind her, then asked Leni what she wanted.

"Lori told me everything about your little invention that you planned to use on Luan, and I'm here to tell you that you better call it off, or I'll be letting Mom and Dad know about it" Leni answered in a serious tone of voice.

Lisa's expression changed from that of annoyance to that of a person who had just been caught with their pants down, and she knew that she had been busted.

"So... Lori told you about... that" Lisa said in a defeated tone.

"Yes, she did, and I want to know just what in the world you were thinking. Why the hell would you even consider doing something like that?!" Leni demanded harshly.

Lisa was silent for a few seconds before speaking up again, sounding more serious.

"Luan hurt our brother very badly, Leni. I can't allow such a thing like to slide" Lisa replied with a hint of malice in her voice.

"Mom and Dad are handling it, Lisa. We don't have to worry about Luan breaking the rules anymore. And besides, Luan was sobbing with remorse just awhile ago in Lincoln's room over what she did, so there's no reason to do what your planning to do. Just let it go, Lisa" Leni shot back.

"What if Luan-" Lisa began, but Leni cut her off.

"No "what if's", Lisa! Your not Luan's parent, so stop trying to take matters into your own hands, Lisa. I know your on edge after everything that's happened; all of us are. That doesn't mean we should go around trying to get even with Luan, and that certainly doesn't give anyone the right to do what your planning to do!" Leni argued.

"I...," Lisa paused, not knowing what to say.

"Instead of inventing devices that mess with people's minds, you should focus on inventing something that might be able to help Lincoln, something to restore his memory. Your better than this, Lisa! Don't waste your talent by doing something so heartless. Besides, what could you possibly hope to gain from all this? Luan's upset enough already, and you'll only make it worse if you do what I know your planning to do" Leni lectured.

Lisa starred down at the floor, not saying a word. Those ideas had crossed her mind at the hospital, yet her hatred towards Luan had blinded her from her true goals, leading her astray towards a path that she had never even considered going down. However, her fear of Luan had gotten in the way of her better judgment and caused her to focus more on getting back at Luan rather than on helping Lincoln. Realizing her mistake, Lisa knew what she had to do.

"Y-your right, Leni. I...," Lisa stammered, now sounding upset. "I'm just so worried about Lincoln, and so angry at Luan that I couldn't think of anything else, except to get back at her. I... I just don't know what to do...".

Leni was perturbed. She had never seen Lisa this upset before, but she couldn't exactly blame her. Lincoln had been severely injured and nearly killed by Luan's pranks, and that was a situation Lisa had never been fully prepared for, so it was understandable that she'd show such emotions. Despite being a seven year old genius, Lisa was only human after all, and even prodigies like her had emotions. Leni couldn't help but feel pity for Lisa, despite what she and Lori had planned to do to Luan.

"Lisa, your the smartest person in the family, and your also a good person. Don't do something that you'll regret later in life. I believe in you, and if there's anyone in this family that can help Lincoln and maybe Luan, its you. Don't use your skills for such evil purposes. Do what's right" Leni explained in a comforting voice.

Lisa looked up at Leni, who now had tears in her eyes, then embraced her.

"Y-your right, Leni. I... I'll do what I can. Also... t-thank you! I... don't know what I would have done if you hadn't come to speak to me" Lisa sniffed, embracing Leni tightly.

Leni embraced Lisa with a warm smile, then said, "I'm glad I was able to help. We'll get through this, I know we will, and I believe Lincoln will as well. We should get some rest now".

Lisa stepped back and said, "Y-yeah, I'm a bit tired as well. I'll see you in the morning, Leni".

"You too, Lisa" Leni nodded, then headed downstairs.

Lisa then rushed back into her room with a new plan in mind, and that was to try and save Lincoln. It would take some time, but she believed she could do it, just as Leni told her.

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 **A/N: Well, I can say this was a much better outcome than the old one. I'll be revising the other chapter as well, so stay tuned, and once again... HAPPY NEW YEAR!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey guys! This is the revised version of chapter 4. Don't have much to say other than enjoy, and Happy New Year! (Oops! Said it again... LOL!)**

 **Disclaimer: I own only my OC's.**

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Chapter 4: Guilt Trip

The following morning wasn't anything special, nor was the Loud family as active as they usually were. Lana was currently making a few repairs on the fridge since it had taken some damage the other day when falling over, and she also tightened the legs up so it wouldn't fall over again. The other Loud siblings sat in their rooms, just starring out their windows in despair over their brother. Lucy lay in her coffin bed with the lid shut, writing a sad poem about nearly losing her dear brother. As for Luan, she sat near the edge of her bed, just starring ahead at the wall with a forlorn expression. As for Rita and Lynn Sr, the two of them sat on their bed, worried out of their minds about Lincoln.

"Couldn't sleep well last night either, I take it" Lynn Sr. said, feeling a bit groggy.

"No, not really," Rita replied. "I just... can't stop thinking about Lincoln".

"Same here, honey," Lynn Sr said. "I can't believe something like this happened. I just don't know what to do".

"Do you really think grounding Luan for the year was the right decision? I mean, banning her from pulling pranks and telling puns in this house seems perfectly reasonable, but a whole year of being grounded? That seems a bit... extreme" Rita wondered.

"As extreme as it may be, I believe grounding Luan for the rest of the year was perfectly justified," Lynn Sr replied in a firm voice. "What she did was beyond deadly serious, Rita. While Luan may have not deliberately caused Lincoln's accident, she still acted recklessly like she always does with these pranks of hers and almost got him killed in the process. She doesn't deserve to be given any leniency for something like this".

"True," Rita agreed. "Yet I don't know how Luan will make a living now that she's banned from doing comedy in the family house. Comedy is all that she's known since she was young".

"Yes, that's true," Lynn Sr admitted. "But until Luan moves out of the house, we can't allow her to continue pursuing that career. If Luan wishes to continue her career as a comedian, she'll have to do it once she's moved out of our house. I know it sounds cruel and unfair, but we can't allow Luan to keep doing what she's been doing for the past ten years every April Fools Day. While I didn't have so much of a problem with Luan telling jokes and puns, albeit annoying ones at that, it's her pranking that's I have a huge issue with".

"To be honest, I really didn't much care for Luan's puns and jokes, but I've always had a big issue with her pranks that she always pulled every year on April Fools Day," Rita admitted as well. "It's as you said, Lynn. Luan would always find new ways to prank is every single year, even after she swore multiple times that she'd stop, but still didn't. We honestly should have stood up to Luan like true parents would and put a stop to her pranking sprees ourselves a long time ago. If we had just fine that instead of just giving into our fears and letting Luan have her way, then... Lincoln wouldn't have...".

Rita paused and felt her sorrow returning as she thought of her only son in the hospital, his body and mind crippled from Luan's botched prank trap. Just thinking about it almost brought Rita on the verge of years as she recalled what Dr. Lloyd had mentioned about Lincoln's condition and how it would forever effect his life in the worst way imaginable.

"I know, honey," Lynn Sr replied sadly. "And as much as I don't want to admit it, I can't continue to deny the fact that Lincoln's accident is partly our fault as well. While I know that Luan never intended to purposely drop that fridge on Lincoln, it's still out fault for not taking action when we still had the chance. We honestly shouldn't have allowed Luan to pull pranks like this in the first place to begin with, but like the idiots we were, we allowed her to do so. I don't know if I'll ever forgive myself for that".

Rita knew that her husband was right, and she couldn't deny it. Although Lynn Sr and Rita were finally taking action and putting a stop to Luan's pranks once and for all, the damage had already been done, and one of their family members had paid the horrible price for their cowardice. Lincoln would never be able to reach his full potential in life due to his internal injuries and severe brain damage, and even if Lisa found some way to help him recover, there was no guarantee that he'd ever be the same again.

"I'll never forgive myself either," Rita replied sadly. "I... I just don't know what to do, Lynn. I'm so scared for Lincoln. What if something happens to him while he's recovering in the hospital? And how will he be able to live once you and I are gone?".

"I'm just as scared as you, Rita, but we shouldn't start to panic. If something happens to you and me, or when our time finally comes and we pass on from old age, Lincoln will have his sisters to watch over him. The doctor even mentioned this, and I have complete faith in our daughters that they'll see Lincoln through to the end" Lynn Sr explained.

"So do I" Rita agreed.

As Rita and Lynn Sr continued to comfort each other in their room, Lisa was currently working on a new device in hers and Lily's room. While her true goal was to construct one of her other planned inventions to help Lincoln, she wanted to try and help Luan as well. Lily looked up from her crib and gazed at the device Lisa was constructing, which resembled a metal head band colored grey with a USB plug on the left side, a cord on the right side, and several metal antennas sticking out from the sides.

"What that?" Lily asked Lisa in her usual babyish voice.

"Oh, this?" Lisa replied, holding up the metal head band. "This device is what I call the "MS-3000", or "Dream Simulator 3000" for short".

"Eh?" Lily said, obviously confused.

"I take it you don't understand what I'm saying, so I'll try to explain," Lisa started. "This device has the ability to create a virtual world within your dreams, depending on what virtual program is loaded onto it. There's only one catch; it'll only work when your asleep. I plan to test it out on Luan in order to help give her some closure to what she's done and try to move on. Think of it as a form of counseling in a technological sort of way".

"Luan sleep?" Lily asked Lisa.

"Not now," Lisa said. "But later tonight once we head off to bed, I'll slip this device on Luan and give it a go. I've already programmed the perfect dream simulation into the DS-3000, so hopefully, this should help Luan a lot. Afterwards, I'll get started on one of my other inventions to try and help Lincoln".

Lisa then plugged the DS-3000 into a laptop with a USB cable and ran some diagnostics on it to make sure it was fully functioning, then she set it back down on her table and began working on the blueprints to her other secret invention that would hopefully aid her in trying to heal some of Lincoln's injuries once he was out of the hospital. It would take some time to construct due to how complex and advanced the mechanics of this invention was, but Lisa hoped she'd be able to complete it before the end of the month if she was lucky.

...

...

" _What?! He's in the hospital?!_ " Ronnie Anne exclaimed in shock over Lori's phone.

"Yes, I'm afraid its true," Lori said sadly. "I take it that Bobby told you last night?".

 _"Yes, he told me that Lincoln was in the hospital undergoing surgery, but he didn't tell me why. Bobby got really upset when I asked him about it and walked out of the room"_ Ronnie Anne replied.

"Well, its a long story, and I need to warn you that your not going to like it one bit" Lori said seriously, then proceeded to tell Ronnie Anne everything that had happened the other day on April Fool's day.

Once Lori mentioned the part about Lincoln being badly crippled by one of Luan's pranks, she began hear Ronnie Anne starting to tense up over the phone.

 _"No! What happened to him?"_ Ronnie Anne panicked.

"One of Luan's prank traps went terribly wrong and caused the refrigerator to fall in Lincoln, and it nearly killed him," Lori explained grimly. "He had to be transported to the hospital in one of those big rig semi-truck ambulances they use for very serious emergencies. Had the EMT's arrived any later, Lincoln would probably be in the Coroner's freezer vault right now".

 _"My god! How bad are his injuries?"_ Ronnie Anne asked, clearly worried out of her mind at this point.

"Very bad," Lori replied. "Lincoln's lung got punctured by a broken rib which had to be drained with a trocar in the ambulance, and he received a broken forearm as well, but that's not even the worst of it. He's been paralyzed from the waist down for the rest of his life, and he's got some very severe brain damage".

 _"How... how bad is it? It's not too serious, is it?"_ Ronnie Anne stuttered, almost too afraid to ask.

"It's... It's bad, far worse than any of his other injuries combined," Lori replied, feeling very uneasy. "Lincoln's brain has been so badly damaged that his mind reverted back to the mindset of a toddler, and he's suffered memory loss as well. In other words, he's been permanently reduced to a state of mental retardation for the rest of his life. Because of this, Lincoln will have to be taken care of for the rest of his life as well in regards to being fed, dressed, bathed, and even using the bathroom. Oh, and I also forgot to mention that Lincoln will have to be put in diapers again until he's well enough to be reeducated on using the toilet".

Ronnie Anne was silent for over a minute until she finally spoke up again, and she sounded very upset.

 _"Lori, tell me your lying! This... this can't be true! It can't be!"_ Ronnie Anne stammered, clearly on the verge of a breakdown at this point.

"I really wish I was, Ronnie Anne, but this is no joke. I would never lie about something like this" Lori said sadly.

 _"Then... then it's true,"_ Ronnie Anne replied, now sounding like she was crying. _"Can he at least still speak?"._

"Yes, but not coherently," Lori answered. "Due to the brain damage he suffered, Lincoln isn't able to speak normally like he used to. The best he can do is say simple word's like "Mom", "sis", and "dad". Other than that, everything Lincoln says is all incoherent gibberish, yet he does seem slightly aware of his surroundings".

 _"What do you mean by that?"_ Ronnie Anne asked meekly.

"From what I witnessed, Lincoln seems to react to his surroundings the way a toddler would, and he'd react a certain way around each of us. It's hard to explain in words; you'd have to see it for yourself to understand better" Lori answered.

 _"I... I have to see him! Is there any chance of being able to visit Lincoln anytime soon?"_ Ronnie Anne said frantically.

"Yes, we're all planning to visit him in a bit, but you live at least an hour away. So it'll take awhile for you to reach the hospital. Also, there's something else you'll need to consider" Lori said with a bit of concern in her voice.

 _"And what is that?"_ Ronnie Anne asked.

"Remember how I said Lincoln suffered memory loss because of the brain damage? Well, there's a good chance that he may not recognize you when he sees you. So I thought you should know so that your prepared when you see him" Lori informed.

 _"Don't say that! He won't forget me! I know he won't!"_ Ronnie Anne snapped in disbelief.

Lori could already tell from her tone that Ronnie Anne wasn't taking this well at all, and she couldn't blame her. All of Lincoln's friends had been notified by his family earlier about what had happened to him, and they were all in edge about it, especially Ronnie Anne. Despite being the toughest girl in her old school and being able to handle almost anything, nothing could have prepared Ronnie Anne for something like this. It was no mystery as to why she'd doubt the possibility of Lincoln no longer recognizing her due to his brain damage. Ronnie Anne didn't want to accept the fact that she may end up losing her only boyfriend forever, not through death, but by possible permanent memory loss.

"Ronnie Anne, I know this is hard to take in, but trust me when I say that it's a fact we'll all have to consider. Now the doctor _did_ say that as Lincoln's brain heals over time, he might recover some of his memories, but not all of them due to how serious the damage done to his temporal lobe was. Also, Lisa told us that she'll try and see if she can try to construct a new invention that might heal some of the brain damage once Lincoln returns home, but she'll need to fully examine him in order to see how bad the damage actually is in order to determine weather or not she can fix some of it" Lori explained.

 _"Is that even possible? I know Lisa is a prodigal genius, but I don't know if even she could fix injuries this serious"_ Ronnie Anne wondered, sounding a bit at ease.

"Neither do I," Lori replied. "Lisa even said that she may not be able to fix the damage entirely due to how serious Lincoln's injuries are. I can only hope that she'll be able to try and find a way to restore some of his higher brain functions or his memories. However, Lisa will need to actually examine Lincoln up close in order to find out just what can be healed and what can't be healed, and it'll be at least a month until Lincoln can return home".

 _"So then I take it that Lisa will have to wait a month until she can examine Lincoln to try and help him?"_ Ronnie Anne asked.

"Yes, unfortunately so," Lori answered with a sorry sigh. "I know this is hard for all of us, but we'll get throught, and I can only hope Luan will as well".

 _"Don't mention that dirty pranksters name! She's the reason that Lincoln's in this horrible state to begin with! How can she even sleep at night after reducing Lincoln to a shell of his former self?! I swear to God, I'm gonna strangle that prankster when I find her!"_ Ronnie Anne raged.

"Ronnie Anne, there's no need for that. Luan's really upset and guilt ridden by causing Lincoln's horrible accident, so beating her to a pulp isn't going to solve anything. That won't undo what Luan did" Lori scolded her.

 _"She should be! Why the hell would Luan drop a fridge on Lincoln?! She should have known he'd get badly hurt from something like that!"_ Ronnie Anne snapped coldly.

"Luan didn't do it intentionally. One of the balancing feet on the fridge was old and loose, and it broke off when Lincoln hit it. That's what caused it to fall on him" Lori protested.

 _"Well maybe if Luan used her head for for once and actually checked the fridge for small details like that, this never would have happened!"_ Ronnie Anne shot back aggressively.

"I know; Mom and Dad actually pointed that out to Luan after we rushed out of Lisa's bunker to try and help Lincoln. But I can promise you that she'll never be pranking anyone in our house or anywhere else ever again. Mom and Dad grounded her for the rest of the year and they've placed a permanent prank and pun ban on this household. She'll also be required to help pay for Lincoln's hospital bills, and judging from how much surgery the doctors performed on him, they won't be cheap" Lori explained.

 _"Lori, do you honestly think that Luan's going to give up pranking that easily?"_ Ronnie Anne questioned.

That question struck Lori hard like a brick to the head. That was the same question that Lori herself had asked Leni just last night, and it was probably the most cliche question that had been on everyone's mind since Rita and Lynn Sr grounded Luan and placed the no-pranking and no-pun ban on the house.

"Ronnie Anne, I honestly thought about that long and hard, and to be honest," Lori paused with a sigh, then said, "I think after seeing what her actions caused, she's never going to want to prank anyone ever again".

 _"I honestly don't know about that, Lori. However, from what you told me, I have to admit that you have a point. I can probably see Luan finally coming to her senses after putting her own brother in the hospital, which I imagine was a huge eye opener for her"_ Ronnie Anne admitted.

"Yes, that I have no doubt about at all. Luan was crying her eyes out in Lincoln's room the other night, and she was begging for forgiveness from all of us about an hour ago for all the pranks she pulled on us each year. Yeah, I don't think Luan's going to be pranking anyone again anytime soon, if not, ever again" Lori said with relief.

 _"That'd be a big relief"_ Ronnie Anne admitted.

"Yes, it is," Lori agreed. "But I'm so worried about Lincoln. I can't imagine what he's going through right now in the hospital. Lincoln probably has no clue what's going on around him because of his brain damage, and I'm worried that he might end up hurting himself in the process because of it".

 _"My thoughts exactly. Also, how is Lincoln going to get around in the house now that he's paralyzed from the waist down?"_ Ronnie Anne asked.

"Mom and Dad said they'll have to install a stair lift system to the stairs so that Lincoln will be able to get up to the top of them. Lana agreed to help install it since she's a whiz with gadgets" Lori replied.

 _"Will Luan be helping to pay for it like with Lincoln's hospital bills?"_ Ronnie Anne asked curiously.

"Oh, absolutely," Lori said as a matter of factly. "Mom and Dad are really cracking down hard on Luan for what she's done. Since she's the one who caused this calamity in the first place, they said she's going to help pay for it".

 _"How the heck is Luan gonna afford to help pay for the hospital bills and stair lift? I know for a fact that those won't be cheap"_ Ronnie Anne wondered.

"Mom and Dad are currently looking up part time jobs for Luan. They don't want her working at that joke shop anymore since its related to comedy. Like I said, they're cracking down real hard on Luan, and that means no being associated with anything related to comedy" Lori answered.

 _"Yeah, I can't blame them for that,"_ Ronnie Anne said. _"That joke shop would just tempt Luan to revert back to her old ways, and that's the last thing we want, especially after the incident with Lincoln"._

"I'm not sure if she'd do that after all that's happened, but it's honestly not worth the risk" Lori replied.

 _"No, it isn't"_ Ronnie Anne agreed.

As Lori was about to respond, she heard a knock on her door.

"Hang on, someone's at my door," Lori said, raising her head towards the door. "Who's there?".

"It's Leni; we're going to visit Lincoln in a few minutes" Leni called out.

"All right, I'll be down in a minute," Lori responded back, then turned back to her phone. "I gotta get going, Ronnie Anne. We're going to see Lincoln in a few minutes".

 _"Okay, I'll try to come see him too, but it might be awhile till I get there since Royal Woods is a few hours away from where I am"_ Ronnie Anne replied.

"That's fine, I understand. I'll see you then" Lori said, then hung up.

* * *

 **A/N: Finally! The revisions are done and I can continue on the rest of the story! See you all next time!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey folks, it's been two months, but the next chapter is finally done. As I make the plans for the next chapter, I'm currently on the Metrolink bound for home, so my days been interesting. So, we finally get to see Lincoln again after several chapters since his accident, but will he remember his family and friends when he sees them? And what about Ronnie Anne? Read on to find out.**

 **Disclaimer: My OC's are all that I own**

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Chapter 5: Shattered Memories

The Loud family entered the recovery room as Lincoln was being attended to by Doctor Lloyd and a male nurse by having the bandages on his head replaced. Once they were inside, Lincoln turned his head to face them with an expression of confusion and unsureness.

"Uh... Uh?" Lincoln said in a mentally retarded tone, pointing at his sisters with a shaky hand.

"Oh, your parent's and sisters are here," Lloyd turned to Lincoln's family. "Hi there, we were just changing Lincoln's bandages".

"Is he doing alright?" Rita asked anxiously.

"I've been analyzing Lincoln's activity since yesterday and he appears to be recovering, albeit very slowly. However, he tends to get very fidgety with himself whenever he's nervous and has trouble controlling his arm movements from time to time. This is likely due to the damage done to his frontal brain lobe" Lloyd explained.

"I don't quite follow" Rita answered in confusion.

"Well, you see, the frontal lobe of the brain affects a persons behavior, learning, personality, and involuntary movement. And due to the heavy damage Lincoln's frontal lobe took from the piece of fractured skull jamming into it, all four of those characteristics will be very heavily impaired," Lloyd answered. "Lincoln may sometimes act erratic or show very unusual behavior, such as random fits, and maybe even panic. His rationality and sense of recognition will also be impaired too, meaning he won't be able to distinguish between reality and fantasy".

"Rationality? Erratic behavior?" Lynn Jr questioned, obviously confused.

"What he means to say is that our brother is unable to rationalize any situations around him properly, and he may not see certain things the way a normal person would. Toddler's often recognize and memorize certain people or objects by appearance, and that's the case with Lincoln here. He's seeing things the way a toddler would see them, but the memory loss seems to be the reason Lincoln doesn't recognize all of us. If he had _all_ of his memories, he'd probably recognize us quite easily and react a different way. As you can all see, Lincoln seems confused just by looking at us, so it's obvious that he doesn't remember us" Lisa explained.

Her sisters then watched Lincoln look over at Rita and a relieved look came over his face as he saw her.

"He still recognizes mom though" Luna said.

"Ma... Ma!" Lincoln muttered joyfully, struggling to control the movement of his arms as he held them out towards her, but his expression changed as he then glanced back at his legs with a panicked look on his face.

"Lincoln?" Rita said worriedly as she saw his reaction change.

"Uh uh! Stuck! UH UH!" Lincoln cried out in a panic as he squirmed about, trying to move his legs and feet, but they wouldn't move.

In the process, he started screaming in pain as he moved his back, so much so that the doctor and nurse had to restrain him. Lincoln's parents and sisters began fearing for his well being as they watched him suddenly starting to panic for reasons they didn't know.

"Lincoln, you need to calm down and stop moving around so much! Your going to hurt yourself" Dr. Lloyd urged Lincoln as he held his arms against the bed.

"No no no! Not! Nope, nope!" Lincoln yelled in a slurred retarded tone, shaking his head from side to side and trying to break free.

"What's going on? What's wrong with him?" Rita asked, now starting to panic.

"Lincoln doesn't understand that he's been paralyzed from the waist down, so he's panicking from not being able to move his legs. He did this yesterday after you all left too. I doubt he even knows what paralysis is given the state his mindsets in" Lloyd answered, struggling to calm Lincoln down.

"Nuh! Nuh! Stop!" Lincoln yelled, still shaking his head around.

"Doc, we may need to sedate him if he keeps this up. His wounds haven't fully healed and he could really end up hurting himself from thrashing around like this" the nurse advised.

"No! Let me try and help him" Rita begged, rushing up to Lincoln. "Let go of him, doctor. I'll try and calm him down".

Dr. Lloyd and the nurse stepped back, allowing Rita to comfort Lincoln. As she took hold of Lincoln's hands and made eye contact with him, he calmed down a bit, but still trembled fearfully with a frightened expression on his face.

"Lincoln, I'm here, sweetie! Please calm down!" Rita urged him with tears forming in her eyes.

"Ma... S-stuck!" Lincoln whimpered, glancing down at his legs.

"I know, sweetie," Rita sniffed, softly hugging him. "It's not your fault, Lincoln. It... It was an accident".

Lincoln didn't appear to understand exactly what was going on, but he seemed aware of his mother's sadness and lifted his trembling hands to try and embrace her. Lincoln's sister's began to slowly approach his bed, including Luan who walked up to Lincoln with tears in her eyes.

"L-Lincoln? Do you remember me?" Luan stammered, wiping tears from her face.

Lincoln turned his attention away from Rita as she released him and made eye contact with Luan, and the moment he did this, something unexpected happened. Everyone watched as Lincoln's expression changed from confusion and dismay to a look of anger and hatred, then he let out a low growl at Luan and raised his finger at her.

"Y-you! Ah ah! You... YOU!" Lincoln yelled in an angry manner and quickly lurched forward with his good hand and tried to grab Luan, but Lori rushed up and stopped him.

"Lincoln, stop!" Lori begged him.

Shaking his head with clenched teeth, Lincoln yelled, "NO, NO! HURT ME! WOO ANN HURT! UH UH UHHH!".

Luan backed away from the bed in both shock and sorrow, remembering the way he looked at her the other day. There was no doubt about it now; Lincoln knew who Luan was and seemed to have some memory of what she had done to him. Although Lincoln couldn't speak normally and coherently, Luan was still able to understand what he was trying to say quite clearly.

"Lincoln, I'm sorry! I really am," Luan pleaded tearfully, rushing forward and suddenly embracing Lincoln. "I know your very angry at me for what I caused you, and you have every right to be! But please believe me when I say that I'm sorry for everything! I'm sorry I ended up putting you in this state, and I swear that I'll never prank you or anyone else ever again, and I truly mean it this time. I don't know if you understand me, but please forgive me for everything!".

Lincoln didn't seem to entirely understand her due to the state his mind was in, but he obviously remembered what Luan had done to him, and this clearly made him angry. What Lincoln did next shocked everyone in the room; he slowly raised a trembling hand up and slapped Luan on the side of her face. Everyone gasped as Luan backed away with a shocked face, feeling the sting on her cheek as she saw Lincoln's expression.

He glared at her with clenched fists and with tears in his eyes, and this sight nearly broke Luan's heart.

"L-Lincoln..." she whispered sorrowfully with tears running down her face.

"Hurt! You... Hurt! You... me hurt!" Lincoln drawled angrily, pointing at her with his good arm, which was trembling like crazy.

"I'm sorry! I know I hurt you, but it was an accident!" Luan pleaded, trying to calm him down.

"Nuh! NUH! HURT! HURT!" Lincoln yelled, shaking his head in anger.

Luan backed further away as Lynn Sr rushed up to the bed and tried to calm Lincoln down, but he was of no help. Lincoln didn't seem to recognize him due to his memory loss, so he just ignored Lynn Sr and continued pointing at Luan with an angry glare on his face and shouted out both broken words and angry incoherent gibberish at her. Seeing as how Lynn Sr was not helping, Rita tried calming him down.

"Lincoln, stop this, please! Luan really is sorry for what she did to you! Can't you understand?" Rita pleaded, gently grabbing his cheeks and facing Lincoln towards her.

Lincoln slowly calmed back down, but still trembled with anger. He attempted to glance back over at Luan who was now standing in the corner of the room lamenting, but Rita held his head in place and kept his focus solely on her. Lloyd and the nurse stood nearby in case Rita lost control of Lincoln.

"Lincoln, please look at me! Don't look at Luan, just look at me," Rita urged him with tears forming in her eyes. "Lincoln, she won't hurt you, I promise! Please try to understand me!".

Lincoln stared right into his mother's eyes, clearly trying to understand the situation, but it was very hard to do due to the brain damage. His angry expression changed to that of a nervous, worried child as he saw his mother crying. While Lincoln wasn't able to understand the reason for Rita's sorrow, he knew that something was wrong when he saw how sad she looked; it didn't take even the mind of a toddler to understand that.

"Ma? Ma Hurt?" Lincoln asked in a worried tone.

Rita shook her head and said, "No, I'm fine. Just please listen to me. Luan isn't going to hurt you ever again, and she says she's sorry for everything she did to you. Can you understand what I'm saying, Lincoln?".

"Uh? Un... un... sand?" Lincoln asked in a retarded voice.

"Yes," Rita nodded, feeling a spark of hope. "Do you understand what I'm saying?".

Lincoln stayed still for a few seconds, then he slowly nodded with a slurred, "Uh huh".

Rita and the rest of his family all felt a slight rush of relief as they heard Lincoln acknowledge her, and so did Dr. Lloyd and the nurse. Seeing as how Lincoln was more in control, Leni stepped forward with her hands behind her back, clearly hiding something. She then beckoned Luan towards her as she turned to face Lincoln.

"Lincoln, Luan has something for you" Leni said as Luan stepped up towards her.

Luan reached behind Leni and took something from her hands as Lincoln looked over at her, his face them contorted to another hate filled look which immediately caught the attention of Lloyd and the nurse. Rita, Lynn Sr and the rest of Lincoln's sister's also became worried that he'd suddenly lose it again.

"Loo ann... you..." Lincoln growled as Luan approached the bed with her hands behind her back.

"Miss, you better back off," the nurse warned her. "Something about you clearly set him off, and if he decides to get violent again, I don't want you getting hurt".

"I know why he hates me, and I think he still remembers why, and I don't blame him," Luan admitted, stopping next to Lincoln's bed. "But I really want to show him how sorry I am, and that's why I want to give him this".

Lincoln looked about ready to punch Luan, but stopped halfway when Luan showed him what she had been hiding behind her back. It was his old stuffed rabbit, Bun-Bun, all stitched up and repaired. Lincoln's angry expression immediately faded and was replaced by a look of both surprise, awe, and relief the moment his eyes fell upon Bun-Bun.

"Buh... Buh buh?" Lincoln stuttered as Luan held the stuffed rabbit out to him.

"Here you go, Lincoln; he's all fixed," Luan said, handing Bun-Bun to Lincoln. "Lincoln, what I did to Bun-Bun by placing him in that explosive party ball in your room... I'm so sorry. It was meant to be a prank, but I didn't think he'd get so badly damaged, so Leni showed me how to sew and I patched him up".

Lincoln held the small rabbit close to his bandaged chest in a loving manner, as if it were a lost lover reunited with him. Lincoln also appeared to tear up with happiness as he rubbed Bun-Bun softly against the side of his face.

"Buh... buh... Bun-Bun" Lincoln said, and surprisingly coherent.

"Yes, I knew you'd remember him" Luan replied in relief.

Lincoln wasn't paying much attention to Luan at this point. As he held Bun-Bun close to his bandaged chest lovingly like a mother comforting her baby, a rush of different memories began running through Lincoln's head, though still with many gaps in between due to the brain damage he received.

 **("Treasured Memories" from _Kingdom Heart's_ plays through this passage)**

Lincoln held his eyes shut as he remembered some of his past memories of Bun-Bun. In his mind, he saw himself as a young five year old again trembling fearfully in his bed during a power outage and calling for his mother. When she didn't show up, Bun-Bun was there to comfort him and ease his fear, allowing him to fall asleep peacefully. Bun-Bun had always been there to keep him company whenever there was a huge storm or a power outage.

Lincoln then remembered more memories of him and Bun-Bun during his early childhood, though still having a few memory gaps here and there. He saw himself sitting next to a young Lori, Luan, Luna, and Leni with Bun-Bun at his side at the family table during his fifth birthday, preparing to blow out the candles on his cake. Close beside him were his parents and young Luna and Luan, all with smiles and joy on their faces.

Although Lincoln's mindset was in a toddler like state because of the brain damage, he still remembered parts of his past, and Bun-Bun was a big part of it. The small stuffed rabbit had always been there for him whenever he was scared, alone, or distressed, and so had his sisters. Even though Bun-Bun wasn't actually alive, he'd always been a very close companion to Lincoln ever since he was a young child, always there to comfort him whenever he was dealing with personal issues that even his sisters wouldn't understand.

While Lincoln could no longer remember most of those issues, he still remembered Bun-Bun all too well, yet there were still many gaps in Lincoln's memory that he just couldn't recall. He had only recovered a small portion of his memories overnight and after seeing Bun-Bun, but despite that, Lincoln wouldn't recover all of them due to the severity of the damage done to his brain.

However, someone else was also there for him. In Lincoln's mind, he saw someone that seemed so familiar, yet he just couldn't seem to remember who that person was; a boy with black skin and black hair. Lincoln also didn't recognize some of his family members, all except Luan and his mother.

 _"This boy... who is he? Who are these other girls? I don't know them... or do I?"_ Lincoln thought as his memories continued rushing through his head like a train.

He saw various places, people, and many other things that he found familiar, but just couldn't remember. Yet right now, it didn't matter that much to Lincoln. He was so happy to be reunited with Bun-Bun. Lincoln remembered seeing Bun-Bun destroyed by Luan at one point, but most of the memories of the April Fool's day events were still very fuzzy.

All he remembered before waking up in the hospital was being crushed underneath something big and heavy, but he couldn't remember what it was. Lincoln knew Luan was behind this from a few memories of her performing pranks on him, but the rest of it was fragmented and scrambled.

 _"Why did Luan do this? What was I doing?"_ Lincoln wondered in his mind.

Then he suddenly saw someone else in his mind; it was a girl with black hair and tan skin, wearing a purple coat, blue shorts, and purple socks. Did he know her? Lincoln could have sworn he'd seen her before, known her before, yet it seemed he couldn't. All these people Lincoln saw in his mind seemed so familiar, except he had no idea who they were or where he had seen them, and it was beginning to discombobulate him.

 _"Who is this girl? Who are all these people?! Why do I feel as if I know them when I haven't ever even met him?"_ Lincoln pondered his fractured thoughts, trying hard to figure out who these mysterious people in his memories were.

 **(Music Ends)**

Lincoln opened his eyes and came out of his trance when the door to the recovery room opened and a brown skinned boy entered. It was Clyde McBride, and he had a very concerned and worried expression on his face as he saw Lincoln laying in a hospital bed with bandages around his head and broken forearm.

"Oh, Clyde," Lori exclaimed as she saw the African American boy entering the room. "I didn't expect to see you here".

Clyde didn't have a love struck breakdown over Lori like he usually did when he made eye contact with her due to the situation. Instead, he looked at Lori with worry and concern.

"Yeah, Leni called me earlier and informed me of Lincoln's condition," Clyde replied in a glum tone of voice. "Is it true? Is Lincoln... brain damaged?".

"Better take a good look, cause the proofs right here" Lana said sadly, nodding over at Lincoln who had turned his attention from Bun-Bun to Clyde.

He eyed the brown skinned boy with a confused look on his face. This boy seemed oddly familiar to Lincoln, but he didn't seem to recognize him. All of Lincoln's sister's also noticed this and grew very worried. Had Lincoln really forgotten his best friend since childhood? If that was the case, would he forget Clyde forever, or would he remember him overtime as his temporal lobe healed?.

 _"This boy... do I know him?"_ Lincoln thought, as Clyde approached his bed.

"L-Lincoln? You still know me, right?" Clyde asked nervously, fearing that Lincoln had forgotten him.

The answer to that was confirmed when Lincoln said in a retarded tone, "Who... you? I... not... know you".

Clyde's heart sank when he heard Lincoln say that, and his parents and sisters all looked heartbroken as well. They had expected this to happen because of Lincoln's condition, but what they all feared the most was weather or not he had forgotten Clyde forever. Was Clyde a part of some of the memories that Lincoln would never recover due to the severity of the brain damage? And what of Ronnie Anne and his other friends out there? Would Lincoln be doomed to forget them forever?

"No... Lincoln," Clyde teared up with despair. "It's me, Clyde McBride, your best friend. Come on... I... I know you know me...".

The Loud's could see Clyde on the verge of tears and tried to ease his sorrow.

"Clyde," Rita said sadly. "I know this is hard for you to accept, but Lincoln doesn't appear to recognize you".

"N-no, he can't! He wouldn't!" Clyde protested, tears now visible in his eyes.

"It may not be forever, Clyde. Once Lincoln's brain starts to heal, he might remember who you are" Lori assured him, but still sounding doubtful.

"How... how long might that be?" Clyde stammered.

"We don't know, Clyde. The doctor said it would be awhile until his brain fully heals" Lori answered.

Clyde looked over to Dr. Lloyd and asked, "Doc, does that mean he'll remember me over time?".

"Lincoln might remember you, but it's too soon to tell. He only seems to remember his mother and his sister Luan," Dr. Lloyd explained, glancing over at Lincoln. "His parents told me everything about how he received his injuries the other day, and judging from the way Lincoln acted just a few minutes ago, he seems to remember some of it. I don't really know how much of Lincoln's memory has been lost or how much of it he's retained. Only time will tell as he recovers".

"Just how bad is Lincoln's condition? Will he ever be the same as he was once he fully recovers? I know he's paralyzed from the waist down, but will Lincoln ever be the same person like he was before?" Clyde wondered, still upset over Lincoln's condition.

"No, I really wish I could say that were the case, but I'm afraid Lincoln's never going to be the same as he was before again. His mind will be in a permanent state of mental retardation for the rest of his life due to the heavy damage done to his brain, which means he'll have to be cared for for the rest of his life as well," Lloyd answered regretfully. "Lincoln will also have to be reeducated with the very simple basics of living, such as speaking properly, tying his shoes, dressing himself, bathing, using the restroom, and so many other things as well. If he recovers more of his memories, he might be able to remember these things without any problems, and if that does happen, Lincoln's mindset might progress just a little further than it is currently at now".

"How far exactly?" Clyde asked, now intrigued.

"I can't be sure how far exactly it will progress as of now, but if I had to guess, I'd say maybe about three or four ages ahead of a toddler's mindset" Lloyd speculated.

"Wait, I thought you said yesterday that Lincoln would be like a toddler forever" Lana reminded.

"Yes, I did," Lloyd answered. "And that was actually my error, which I apologize. At the time, Lincoln had just come out of surgery, so it was difficult to make an exact diagnosis. Up until now, I've never dealt with a child who received injuries in this scale. Because of that, I had to make a diagnosis based upon the severity of Lincoln's brain damage and injuries shown in the CT scans and X-rays, so I wasn't fully sure how to diagnose the state of his mindset at the time. But after I observed and examined Lincoln a little further after you all left last night, I think it might be possible for his mindset to move up a few years ahead once he recovers enough from his injuries".

Clyde and Lincoln's family all looked a bit relieved to hear this, but they were still upset that Lincoln's mindset would never progress any further than just a few years. And in edition to this, he'd still be paralyzed from the waist down, so Lincoln would still be bound to a wheelchair for life.

"Will Lincoln ever walk again?" Clyde asked doubtfully.

"No, I'm afraid that's not possible," Lloyd replied regretfully. "His spinal cord got severely broken near his waist line, and it was far too damaged to repair surgically. Several of the disks in the broken area of Lincoln's spine were shattered into pieces, so much so that it wasn't even possible for them to be fixed or healed, not without causing further damage to his spine".

"So I take it he'll be in a wheelchair forever" Clyde said sadly.

"Yes, I'm afraid so" Lloyd nodded with much regret.

Clyde glanced back over at Lincoln who was now fiddling with Bun-Bun in a childish manner and appeared to be fidgeting with himself as well. His sister's also heard him making strange grunting sounds as he fidgeted around with both Bun-Bun and and his own fingers.

"Linc? You alright?" Lynn Jr asked him, reaching out to touch him, but Lincoln suddenly glanced up a her and jolted backwards with a shriek.

"AH!" Lincoln squealed, and continued to fidget around with himself.

"Hey, what's his problem?" Lynn wondered worriedly at Lincoln's sudden change in behavior.

"Why'd he do that?" Lola pointed out at Lincoln's fidgety behavior.

"He seemed freaked out by me by just being touched. Does Lincoln think I'm trying to hurt him?" Lynn Jr wondered.

"You must have startled him," Rita interjected. "Lincoln's memory is still fuzzy, so he probably doesn't remember you yet. As far as he's concerned, all of us are strangers to him, or at least I assume Lincoln sees some of us that way".

"Doc, is there any way for us to really know what Lincoln remembers?" Lynn Sr asked, sounding almost desperate.

"No, there really isn't, at least not yet," Lloyd replied. "The only way we'll truly know what what he fully remembers depends on how recovery. Once Lincoln recovers enough from his injuries, he should be able to remember more of his memories and he might be able to talk more clearly, but he'll still occasionally have speech problems due to the damage done to his brain. Even once his brain recovers from the severe bruising and the frontal stab wound caused by that piece of his fractured skull, Lincoln will still be mentally and physically impaired for the rest of his life".

"How exactly will Lincoln be able to speak? Will he still talk in that garbled way like he's been doing since he woke up from surgery?" Rita asked in concern.

"I honestly can't be sure, given the circumstances right now, but Lincoln is clearly able to form a few complete words as we just witnessed. However, he's still not able to form full coherent sentences," Lloyd answered. "I'm quite frankly amazed that Lincoln is even alive after suffering such severe internal injuries. Like I said earlier, I've never treated children who suffered severe injuries on this scale, let alone seen them survive this long. Now I've never been much of a religious man or ever believed in God that much, but after seeing Lincoln pull through all this, I've seriously begun questioning my beliefs".

"So have I," Rita replied, glancing over at Lincoln who was now fiddling with Bun-Bun and mumbling incoherent gibberish. "I... I still can't understand how a child as young as Lincoln could ever survive after having an accident like he did. It's a miracle that he's still alive, albeit mentally impaired".

"My thoughts exactly," Lloyd agreed. "But like I said the other day, even though Lincoln will live, it won't really be living. His mindset may progress only up to about three years ahead from a toddler's once he fully recovers, but no further than that, and he'll never walk again either. Lincoln's age will progress normally like any other person, but he'll have the mindset of a child forever".

The Loud's all looked at Lincoln with sadness in their eyes, including Clyde. They pitied him for all that had happened to him, and it was all because of Luan. Clyde already knew that Luan was to blame for this since Leni told him about it over the phone the other night, but he had no idea how badly hurt Lincoln actually was until now. Clyde looked over at Luan with a face filled with hate and disgust for what she had done to his best friend.

He had always known Luan to be careless when it came to pranking people, but he never thought that something this serious would happen as a result of her carelessness. Sure, Clyde had always expected one of Luan's pranking sprees to go awry at some point given how reckless she was when performing them, but he never thought that something this serious would occur. He never thought that his best friend would end up severely brain damaged and paralyzed from the waist down for the rest of his life.

Clyde knew for a fact that Lincoln's other friends weren't going to take this well at all once they found out, and he knew that once Ronnie Anne learned that Luan was the cause of Lincoln's condition, all hell would break loose. Clyde didn't know if Ronnie Anne knew about Lincoln's condition yet, but he knew that once she did, she'd be on Luan like an angry honey badger. Clyde wouldn't be surprised if Ronnie Anne beat her to a pulp as well.

"Luan, how could you do this to him? Why would you drop a fridge on Lincoln?! What in the world were you thinking?!" Clyde angrily demanded to Luan.

Luan said nothing, but instead, just stared at him with a saddened look on her face.

"Luan didn't intentionally drop the refrigerator on him, Clyde. One of our refrigerator's balancing feet were loose which caused it to fall on Lincoln when he hit it after slipping in bacon grease. Luan didn't notice it, so we can't blame her entirely" Luna interjected.

"Maybe if she checked it before setting up her little prank traps, Lincoln wouldn't be in this state now, would he!" Clyde shot back.

"Clyde, please," Leni spoke up urgently. "I know your angry at Luan, and you have every right to be, but Luna's right. Luan never intended to hurt Lincoln, or anyone else for that matter".

"Is that so? Well then, let me ask her this," Clyde turned to Luan with a repugnant stare. "Why did you pull another one of your pranks yesterday? You promised that you wouldn't do that again, and I should know, because Lincoln told me about it on the day before April Fool's day. He said that you agreed never to prank anyone on April Fool's day ever again after the stunt actor incident last year, so why did you break that promise?".

Luan bit her lip, already expecting Clyde to ask that question. She had all heard similar questions and rants from her family about all her broken promises about ending her pranking sprees since Lincoln's accident, so she had a strong feeling that he'd do the same thing as well, and she had no doubt that the rest of Lincoln's friend's would be asking her the same thing. Luan also thought about what Ronnie Anne would say about this as well, and that thought made her cringe a bit.

Luan was pretty sure that Ronnie Anne probably knew about Lincoln's condition since Lori had already told Bobby about it on the phone several hours ago and during the other night, and he had most likely informed Ronnie Anne as well. If anyone wasn't going to take this well, it would be Ronnie Anne, and Luan had a feeling that she'd go completely ballistic once she saw the state Lincoln was in.

"Clyde," Luan began, trying to find the right words to say. "I... I wasn't using my head at the time, and I honestly didn't think that anything would go wrong, so I went ahead with pranking my whole family again. However, I never intended for Lincoln to get hurt, and that's the God's truth".

Before anyone could say anything, the door to the recovery room opened and the Loud family turned to see who was entering the room; it was Bobby and Ronnie Anne. Dr. Lloyd and the nurse also turned their attention to them, as they weren't expecting to see any other visitors in the recovery room. Luan however, cowered behind her sisters, worried that Ronnie Anne would get physically hostile with her over Lincoln.

"Excuse me, who are you two?" the nurse asked the two of them.

"Are you acquaintances of the Loud family, by any chance?" Lloyd asked.

"Yes, I'm Lori's boyfriend, Bobby," Bobby answered. "Ronnie Anne is my sister, and Lincoln's girlfriend. Lori told us about what happened to Lincoln the other day, so we both came down to see him right away to see how he's doing".

"I see," Dr. Lloyd replied, glancing briefly at Lincoln. "Well, he's stable now, but he'll need a lot of time to recover from his surgery. Now, I don't know if Lincoln's parents or sisters told you this yet, but I regret to inform you that he's suffered serious brain damage and has been permanently paralyzed from the waist down due to a severe spinal fracture near his waistline".

"Yeah, we know about it. Lori filled me in in all those details" Bobby nodded with a sad look on his face.

"Doc, is it really true what I've been told? Is Lincoln really going to have the mindset of a toddler for the rest of his life?" Ronnie Anne asked fearfully.

"I originally thought that would be the case, but no, I don't believe so," Dr. Lloyd answered. "I've never treated a patient with injuries as severe as Lincoln's, let alone see them last this long. Because of that, I wasn't sure if it would be possible for Lincoln to recognize his surroundings, let alone speak, but he's actually pulled through much better than I could have ever predicted".

"Does that mean that Lincoln will all right?" Ronnie Anne asked, her hopes slightly perking up.

"Well, the good news is that Lincoln's mindset will recover about three or four years ahead of a toddler's mindset once his brain heals. The bad news is that his mindset won't progress any further than that, and he'll be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life as well. I tried my best to repair the damage done to his spine, but it was just too serious. Also, Lincoln will still have gaps in his memory even after his brain recovers, so he may not recall or remember certain events that happened in the past. He may also not remember who some of you are either" Lloyd explained.

Ronnie Anne felt that spark of hope fade away when Lloyd said that. The thought of Lincoln forgetting her forever was heartbreaking, and Bobby seemed to share that feeling as well. Lincoln was like a brother to him, and having Lincoln forget him would be like losing him all together.

Ronnie Anne rushed up to Lincoln's bed in a hurry to see how he was doing. Lincoln was currently fiddling with his stuffed rabbit Bun-Bun and could be heard making soft, low grunting sounds as he did so. Ronnie Anne could have sworn that Lincoln was talking, but it was impossible to tell since he was practically mumbling.

Lincoln also had an almost passive expression on his face with a small hint of glee as well as he toyed with his favorite stuffed rabbit, not paying attention to what was going on around him. Ronnie Anne slowly approached Lincoln, fearing that he wouldn't recognize her, then tapped on the bed rail to get his attention.

"Lincoln?" Ronnie Anne said, her face filled with worry and concern.

Lincoln stopped what he was doing, turned to face Ronnie Anne who had a look of fear and anticipation, then simply stared at her with an empty expression on his face. Lincoln then moved his head up and down slowly, as if scanning Ronnie Anne's appearence, then his eyes seemed to widen a bit as he did.

"You... not..." Lincoln said slowly in a slurred tone.

Ronnie Anne's eyes widened when she heard him speak, but she had no idea what he was trying to say. Everyone else also seemed a bit confused as to what Lincoln was saying.

"What is it? What are you trying to tell me?" She asked Lincoln, her heart pounding.

"Not... hurt... me" Lincoln slurred, this time sounding more nervous.

Ronnie Anne didn't know what to make of this, but she could tell that Lincoln was somehow afraid of her. Ronnie Anne wondered why at first, but after remembering what Dr. Lloyd had said about Lincoln's memory problem, a terrible thought came to her. Had Lincoln forgotten their relationship? If so, did that mean he had forgotten Ronnie Anne as well? No, that couldn't be.

"I... I don't understand," Ronnie Anne reached out towards Lincoln. "Lincoln, what are you saying?".

The moment she touched Lincoln's bandaged forearm, he suddenly jolted backwards and let out a panicked cry. His expression was now a look of both fear and dread.

"NO! You... not! Not! NOT!" Lincoln yelled, trying to hide under the bed covers, but it was hard for him to do because of his busted forearm and paralysis.

"Sis, you better back away. You seem to be scaring him" Bobby advised cautiously.

"W-what's going on? Why is he suddenly so frightened?" Ronnie Anne stuttered in confusion.

"I... I don't know," Bobby answered. "It might have something to do with his condition, or possibly his memory".

"Is it possible that he doesn't recognize me?" Ronnie Anne asked.

"That might be the case," Bobby guessed. "Or maybe he does recognize you in some way, but doesn't at the same time".

"What? That doesn't make sense," Ronnie Anne said, rathered confused. "How can he recognize me and not recognize me at the same time? That's ridiculous".

"I think what Bobby is trying to say is that Lincoln only remembers certain parts about you, Ronnie Anne" Lisa answered.

"What do you mean by that?" Ronnie Anne asked her.

"From what I just analyzed from Lincoln's behavior and reactions, he apparently has only a few memories of you, and I can probably imagine that those memories he has of you are from the times you bullied him. That's most likely the reason Lincoln suddenly freaked out the way he did when you came close to him" Lisa explained.

Ronnie Anne felt her heart skip a beat when she took in what Lisa had just said. She didn't want to believe it was true, but the facts were right in front of her; Lincoln was afraid of Ronnie Anne, and his reactions confirmed it. Ronnie Anne was heartbroken by this horrible revelation, and Luan looked just as upset.

" _This is just too awful,"_ Luan thought, feeling the urge to sob her eyes out again. " _Lincoln's mind is all messed up, and it's all because of me and my stupid pranks!"._

Lincoln had managed to only pull the covers up halfway with his one arm, yet his head was still visible, and that frightened expression was still on his face. Ronnie Anne could only step backwards as Lincoln trembled in fright, feeling a deep sense of loss and sadness. Lincoln had clearly lost his memories of him and Ronnie Anne as boyfriend and girlfriend, retaining only the horrid memories of Ronnie Anne bullying and tormenting him. Lincoln also didn't appear to recognize Bobby either, because when he approached the hospital bed and tried to comfort Lincoln, he just stared at him as if he were a complete stranger to him.

At this point, everyone began fearing the worst for Lincoln regarding his memory, including Dr. Lloyd. Would he be doomed to forget all those he once knew and cared about? Would it be possible to regain any memory of them at all? No one knew, yet all they could do was hope. Lisa however, was more bound and determined than ever to find a way to fix her brothers crippled memory, but she still needed to know more about the extent of Lincoln's cranial injuries to do that. She began forming a plan in her mind...

* * *

 **A/N: How heartbreaking! Lincoln lost the memories of the one girl closest to him. Yet it would appear that the memories of his family members are still there, but they're still unrecognizable. Will Lincoln ever remember them? And how will Lisa find a way to help Lincoln recover?**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Man! Five months since the last update, but it was worth it. I was busy writing a few creepypasta stories which is why the update was delayed. I submitted two of them Southern Cannibal on Youtube, who gladly narrated them. Anyone who's interested in listening to them should check them out. They are called, "I Lost Everything On My Eighteenth Birthday", and "Disneyland Is No Happy Place". Those stories are the reason I haven't updated this story in awhile, but I'm not quitting on it. However, I plan to write more creepypastas, so updates on my stories here may be delayed in the future. Also, if any of you are interested, check out my new Spinpasta account on the Spinpasta wiki. I posted three stories there under the profile name, Star Butterfly A113; that's my account username.**

 **Disclaimer: I only own my OC's.**

* * *

Chapter 6: Recollection

"Why Luan? Why did you do it?" Ronnie Anne demanded.

Dr. Lloyd and the nurse had recently left the recovery room to tend to another patient having an asthma attack while Bobby, Clyde, Lincoln's parents, and sisters continued interacting with him. Luan had moved next to the empty hospital bed next to Lincoln's bed, too ashamed to face him any longer after realizing that he remembered some of the event's that occurred on April Fool's day which lead him to bring in the hospital and crippled for life. After seeing for herself how bad a condition Lincoln was actually in, Ronnie Anne became furious with Luan and cornered her for answers.

"I... I didn't do it on purpose, Ronnie Anne. It wasn't intentional" Luan answered nervously.

"I wasn't talking about the fridge incident! I'm talking about you pulling pranks on April Fool's day again," Ronnie Anne snapped. "Why did you go back on your word and prank your family again?! Lori told me last year that you swore never to prank anyone in your house on April Fool's day again after that stunt actor incident".

Luan had heard that question more than enough, and it only stressed her out even more when people asked her about it. Because of that, she couldn't think clearly.

"I know I did, but I just... just..." Luan had no words.

"Just what?! You can't answer a simple question?! Is it because your too scared to admit the truth about your addiction to pranking?" Ronnie Anne barked, growing visibly impatient.

Luan had enough. She was tired of being constantly berated by everyone around her about why she broke her promise to stop pranking, and it was time to put a stop to it.

"Shut up! Just shut up, Ronnie Anne," Luan suddenly snapped, glaring at Ronnie Anne. "I know what I did was wrong, all right! I know I messed up, but it wasn't on purpose! You should know that by now!".

"Hey, what's going on over there, Luan?" Lynn Sr demanded, turning his attention to Luan and Ronnie Anne.

"Yeah, what's all the yelling about, sis?" Bobby asked, noticing the quarrel between the two.

"It's Luan, that's what," Ronnie Anne pointed angrily at Luan. "She broke her promise to not prank anyone again on April Fool's day and now look what happened to Lincoln because of it!".

"I told you, it was an unintentional accident!" Luan protested, losing her patience.

"That's enough, you two," Lynn Sr ordered sternly. "Ronnie Anne, I understand that your very upset about Lincoln. Trust me, all of us are, but getting all hostile isn't going to make it any better. And Luan, we understand that what you caused was unintentional and we've forgiven you for it, but please try to act more civilized".

"He's right, sis," Bobby agreed. "Seeing Lincoln like this is so messed up, but we have to accept that what's been done is done, and there's nothing we can do about it".

"I'm perfectly aware of that, bro," Ronnie Anne replied harshly. "But what's getting to me is the fact that Lincoln may never remember me again, or at least the parts of us both being close friends. Now he's afraid of me because of brain damage done to him by Luan. What has me confused is why he'd be afraid of me. I mean, he was never really fearful of me when I still teased him and bullied him, so why is it that if he only remembers those memories of me, he freaks out?".

"You have to remember that Lincoln's mindset is that of toddler's mindset right now, so that's most likely the reason," Lisa explained. "A toddler can't understand the concept of bullying as well as a twelve year old. To put it simply, Lincoln is afraid of you because he is now seeing those memories of you bullying him as assault rather than bullying and teasing. With his fourteen year old mindset, he'd be able to rationalize between bullying and assault quite easily and realize that you never meant him any harm. But now that Lincoln's mind has been impaired by brain damage and reduced to a toddler's mindset, he's no longer able to rationalize the concept of bullying and assault, and that's why he's afraid of you. He's looking at these memories and at you through a toddler's perspective and sees you as more of a threat than some antisocial girl who was just doing what she did for attention".

Ronnie Anne was shocked. While she wasn't a science nerd like Lisa, she was able to understand what Lisa was getting at. Lincoln was seeing those memories of Ronnie Anne bullying him through a toddler's perspective, and because of that, he was afraid of her. Ronnie Anne knew for a fact that any toddler would look at those acts as being violent and threatening rather than being able to rationalize the situation and try to understand why the person was doing what they were doing to the said individual.

"Is there any way that I could try to make Lincoln understand that I mean him no harm?" Ronnie Anne asked worriedly.

"I honestly don't know," Lisa answered. "Lincoln sees the world and everyone around him from a toddler's perspective, and trying to rationalize situations like bullying with a toddler is difficult. I suppose you could try, but just try not to get too close to Lincoln or you might frighten him enough to the point where he becomes traumatic and ends up hurting himself".

"I'm not sure this is a wise idea," Lola said doubtfully. "What if Lincoln gets all violent again like he did with Luan a while ago?".

"Violent? What are you talking about?" Ronnie Anne asked, obviously confused.

"A few minutes before you and Bobby entered the recovery room, Lincoln totally lost control of himself when he set his eyes on Luan," Luna answered. "He must have remembered some of the events that happened on April Fool's day right before his accident because he totally went bananas and tried to lash out at Luan, and I mean like as crazy as you can imagine. The doctor almost had to sedate him with sleeping drugs because of how insanely rambunctious he became".

"It was wicked," Lucy added darkly. "Had it not been for that stuffed rabbit of his, he'd have probably sunk to the lowest depths of emotional darkness known to man".

Bobby, Ronnie Anne, and everyone else just glanced at Lucy with sarcastic expressions at her remark. Lucy always made references to anything related or revolving around death, darkness, or vampires, yet this seemed hardly the time for any of that.

"Uh, I see," Ronnie Anne said with a bit of sarcasm, then glanced up at Rita. "Will he really lose it if I get too close to him?".

"If he does, I'll try to calm him down the best I can" Rita offered.

After a bit of hesitation, Ronnie Anne slowly made her way across the room towards Lincoln's bed where he was playing around with Bun-Bun and his sisters. Once she got close enough, Lincoln turned his attention to her and his expression changed from happy and childish to a look a fear and uncertainty.

"L-Lincoln? You feeling better?" She asked him.

Lincoln began trembling ever so slightly and then he said, "S-stay... way!".

Ronnie Anne and everyone else tensed up as Lincoln tried scooting as far back as he could from Ronnie Anne, now looking clearly afraid.

"Lincoln, I'm not going to hurt you, I promise," Ronnie Anne assured him. "Do you remember me? Do you remember my name?".

Lincoln moved his eyes up and down, as if scanning Ronnie Anne, then he nodded slowly but fearfully.

"Ron... Anne" Lincoln said with a bit of distaste in his voice.

Ronnie Anne felt a slight bit of relief knowing that Lincoln hadn't forgotten her name, but she was still worried that he'd become too scared of her and go crazy again like Luna had explained. Ronnie Anne wasn't sure how to approach Lincoln without fear of him becoming all rambunctious, so she decided to play it safe and approach him in a more casual way by simply talking calmly and patiently with him. Ronnie Anne's mother had taught her this tactic from her experience as a nurse, so she decided to try it and see if Lincoln would open up to her a bit more.

"Yes, that's it," Ronnie Anne nodded. "Do you remember the times we were together?".

Lincoln didn't respond, but instead stared at Ronnie Anne with a perplexed look on his face, seemingly trying to comprehend what she was asking him. He also continued to keep his distance from her, still obviously not trusting her enough to scoot closer towards her.

"Lincoln," Ronnie Anne began to grow more worried. "Can't you understand anything I'm saying?".

"Here Ronnie Anne, let me try talking to him," Bobby offered and approached Lincoln's bed. "Hey Linc', you remember me? It's me, Bobby".

Lincoln looking up at him and said in a slurred voice, "Bob... Bobby?".

"Yeah, you remember me, right?" Bobby asked him with a nod.

Lincoln looked him over, shook his head, then said, "Not... know... you".

"Oh, I see," Bobby replied sadly. "Well, I'm sure you'll remember me soon, I hope".

Bobby stepped back from his bed and Lucy then approached it slowly. Lincoln looked down at her and began to tremble again with fear. Her gothic appearance was slightly unsettling towards him and seemed to be making Lincoln nervous.

"Who... you? Not... hurt me!" Lincoln pleaded, trembling with fright as Lucy stopped right in front of him.

"Bro, its me, Lucy," Lucy said in her usual gloomy tone, but with a hint of concern as well. "Don't tell me your memory of me is lost in the dark".

Lincoln still trembled in fear as Lucy crept closer to him, but then his mood suddenly changed when Lucy did something that she rarely ever did before. She reached up and lifted the hair up from her face, revealing her bright blue eyes for the first time. Lincoln calmed down and now seemed awed by the sight of Lucy's blue eyes, and he even slid closer towards her as best he could, though it was still difficult to do with a busted forearm and paralysed legs. Her eyes were more beautiful than ever, and the sight of them must have sparked something within Lincoln's scrambled memory, because what he said next filled Lucy and everyone else with delight.

"Lu... Lu..cy... it you!" He stuttered.

Lucy's eyes widened in delight when she heard her brother speak her name.

"Bro, so you _do_ remember me," Lucy said, letting her hair down. "For a moment there, I thought the darkness claimed your memory of me forever".

Lola then approached Lincoln, hoping he wouldn't react fearfully towards her.

"Hey Linc', you haven't forgotten me either, right? You wouldn't forget your royal sister princess, would you?" she asked worriedly with a light smile.

Lincoln stared blankly at Lola, gazing into her eyes. For a moment, Lola was afraid that Lincoln wouldn't recognize her, or end up only remembering a small amount memories of her like with Ronnie Anne. This thought upset Lola. She hadn't forgotten the times that she had often been rather cold and manipulative towards Lincoln in the past, and this made her worry that he'd only remember those memories of her.

"Who... you? Me... not know you" Lincoln said, still looking blankly at Lola.

The young beauty queen felt her heart drop when Lincoln said those words, but she didn't want to give up just yet.

"Lincoln, it's me, Lola. There's no way you couldn't remember me" Lola said, hoping Lincoln would remember her.

"Lola? That... name... I not... know" Lincoln stuttered, sounding confused.

"Linc, don't say that! You've got to remember! What do you remember?" Lola pleaded.

Lincoln didn't seem to quite understand what Lola was asking him, so he could only grunt in response. Lola began to lose hope at this point as she now feared that her brother had forgotten her permanently, but Lana wanted to see if Lincoln still remembered her at least.

Lana rushed up to the bed, then asked, "You still recognize me, right? I'm Lana, remember?".

"La... na?" Lincoln slurred.

"Yeah, that's right" Lana nodded.

"Lana... I know you" Lincoln said, much more coherently than before.

"So you do remember me. That's a relief" Lana beamed with delight.

Lynn Jr then approached Lincoln and asked, "Hey Linc, you recognize me?".

"I... not forget you... Lynn" Lincoln replied, nodding slowly.

"Wow, Lincoln seems to be talking a bit clearer than before" Luna exclaimed.

"Yes, but he still talks like a toddler and can't seem to form full sentences entirely" Lori pointed out.

"Well, Lincoln has a long way to recover, so it's only natural that he'd be talking strangely" Leni said.

"Does he still recognize Luna, Lori, and everyone else?" Clyde wondered.

"I'm not sure," Lori replied, stepping closer to Lincoln. "Hey Lincoln, you remember me?".

Lincoln looked over at Lori, then said, "You Lori, she Leni".

Lincoln pointed weakly at Leni standing next to Lori, then looked over at Luna with a confused look.

"Hey, you still know me, right?" Luna asked him.

"You... Luna?" Lincoln asked her.

"Yeah, that's my name!" Luna said joyfully.

Just then, Dr. Lloyd came back in to check on Lincoln with the male nurse following behind him.

"Mr and Mrs Loud?" Lloyd said, catching everyone's attention.

The Loud family and Lincoln's friends all turned around to face him and the nurse.

"Oh, Dr. Florence," Rita exclaimed. "We didn't notice you coming in".

"It's fine," Lloyd assured them. "I came by to see how Lincoln is doing, and I see he's doing better than before it seems".

"Yeah, he's talking a lot more than before, but it still sounds broken and not coherent" Lynn Sr informed.

"That's understandable," Lloyd replied. "His brain sustained a lot of damage, so even when and if he recovers enough to speak more coherently, his speech will always be slurred".

"Does your son recognize any of you?" The nurse asked Lincoln's parents.

"Yes, but not all of us," Rita answered. "He doesn't appear to recognize his friends and a few of his sisters".

"Actually, Lincoln recognized Ronnie Anne, but his memory of her is incomplete" Lynn Sr added.

"Yes, that much I do know," Lloyd replied, glancing over at Lincoln. "His reaction towards her pretty much covers that. Has he had anymore rambunctious episodes while I've been out?".

"No, but he still gets nervous under pressure, especially if Ronnie Anne gets too close to him" Rita informed.

"I see," Lloyd glanced at Ronnie Anne. "Then I would suggest that she keep her distance from Lincoln until he's recovered more of his memory so that he doesn't have anymore "episodes" like before with his sister. Might I also ask what Ronnie Anne might have done that caused him to get so scared and upset? You mentioned earlier about Lincoln being bullied by her".

Ronnie Anne felt a rush of guilt run in through her as she reflected on all the times she had bullied Lincoln. Everyone else knew this as well, including Lloyd, although he had very little detail about it. He had simply overheard it from Lincoln's sisters when he had been in the room earlier.

"Yes, it's true," Rita replied, glancing at Ronnie Anne. " Ronnie Anne _did_ do some... questionable things to him before they got together".

"Can you describe what she did exactly?" Dr. Lloyd asked.

Before Rita could answer, Ronnie Anne stepped forward and said, "I can explain all of that".

She then began to explain everything about the various times she had bullied Lincoln, often humiliating him in front of his friends, sneaking trash and other things into his school locker, and even striking him a few times. This was, of course, not to intentionally hurt Lincoln, but to try and get his attention and to get him to notice her due to her slight antisocial personality.

Looking back on all of it now, Ronnie Anne now regretted a lot of those things she had done to Lincoln. Had she known something like this would happen, she wouldn't have ever approached Lincoln using all those methods. Dr. Lloyd was quite shocked to hear all of this. He couldn't understand why someone would do all these things just for attention, let alone affection.

"You can't be serious," Lloyd said, shocked. "Did you really do all that to him, just for attention?!".

"I... I know it was wrong, but I just didn't know how to approach him the right way," Ronnie Anne said, feeling ashamed. "I wasn't as social of a person back then, so I tried to get Lincoln's attention using the wrong methods. It was wrong, I know, but I just didn't know how to approach him without getting attention from the other students. I felt embarrassed over the idea of me and Lincoln being close friends, so I acted hostile and cold towards him. If I had known Lincoln would end up in this state, I never would have done what I did to him".

Lincoln suddenly stirred up again, making weird grunting sounds, and then he began moaning in discomfort. Everyone turned their attention to Lincoln as he began tapping the bed, as if trying to get their attention.

"Lincoln, what is it?" Rita asked him, approaching the bed.

"Need... ba... ba... room" Lincoln replied, trying to speak more clearly.

"What's he saying?" Bobby asked, glancing at Lori.

"It just sounds like nonsense to me" Lori said.

"Ba... uh!" Lincoln groaned, suddenly gripping his crotch area and turning slightly red in the face.

"Wincoln made boom boom!" Lily suddenly said, pointing at Lincoln.

As soon as Rita noticed a foul odor coming from the bed, she instantly knew what was wrong with him and turned to his sisters and Dr. Lloyd.

"I think Lincoln just... soiled himself" Rita informed with a slight hint of disgust.

Dr Lloyd walked over and checked the area where Lincoln lay, then looked up at nurse and beckoned him over. A large wet spot could be seen on the sheets where Lincoln sat, now red in the face.

"Inform the nursing staff that we need a clean set of sheets for this bed, and also inform them that we'll also need a new gown for Lincoln" Lloyd informed the nurse.

"Did he wet himself again?" The nurse asked.

"Yeah, that's what it looks like" Lloyd replied, trying to gently scoot Lincoln across the bed.

"Has Lincoln been doing this on a consistent basis?" Rita asked Lloyd.

"Yes, but it isn't his fault," Lloyd answered, moving Lincoln to a dry spot on the bed. "He's not able to control his bowel movements due to him being brain damaged, so we'll need to start putting him in diapers for the time being until his brain heals enough for him to relearn using a toilet. We tried having him use a bedpan the other night, but he's not able to popularly align himself on it due to his busted arm and from being paralyzed from the waist down, so using diapers on him may be the only option for now".

Ronnie Anne felt shocked and sickened by this. Seeing Lincoln reduced from an intelligent fourteen year old to that of a toddler was absolutely heartbreaking, and it was all thanks to Luan. Ronnie Anne glared over at Luan, who was still standing furthest away from everyone else. Luan had her back turned to the whole group, not wanting to face her family. It was obvious that Luan was still upset over reducing Lincoln to a shell of his former self, but Ronnie Anne had no doubt that she was also upset over the fact that Lincoln remembered some of the events from April Fool's Day and now hated her with a passion.

While everyone knew that what Luan did wasn't intentional, this wasn't something that could be overlooked so easily, not like the other "pranksgiving" days. Lincoln had almost been killed because of Luan's reckless behavior, and to add insult to injury, he was permanently paralyzed from the waist down and brain damaged for life.

Ronnie Anne now feared that Lincoln would never recall all the good times they had together and would forever fear her presence. His sister's also shared the same thoughts and fears. While Lincoln clearly remembered some of his sisters, he wasn't able to recall all of them, yet they all hoped that his memories would return to him in time.

"Come on, kiddo," Lloyd coaxed, gently lifting Lincoln out of the bed in both hands. "Let's get you cleaned up in the shower room".

Lincoln quickly turned his head to his mother with a frightened expression and reached his good hand out towards her, struggling as he did so.

"No! Ma! Want... Ma!" Lincoln cried out, reaching for Rita.

"Lincoln, stop! You might hurt yourself" Lloyd warned him, trying to keep hold of him.

"Lincoln, don't worry, sweetie. The doctors just going to clean you up, and I'll be out here waiting for you, and so will the rest of us" Rita assured him.

But Lincoln just shook his head and said in a pleading voice, "No! You not... leave me!".

Seeing how upset Lincoln was, Rita asked Lloyd if it would be all right if she joined him in the shower room to keep him calmed down, and maybe even help to bathe him.

"Yes, that would actually be a good idea to keep him calmed down," Lloyd agreed. "But you'll need to be careful when cleaning him, otherwise his surgical wounds may reopen. He'll also need to be sponge bathed to prevent that from happening".

"Mom, can any of us help? Me and Leni might be of use" Lori offered.

"No, this is something that a parent should do" Rita declined.

Lincoln's sisters acknowledged this and Rita turned to follow Lloyd , but then Luan unexpectedly spoke up.

"Um, Mom? Is it fine if I assist you? It's my fault that... that Lincoln's like this, so it's only right if I help to clean him up too" she asked, sounding upset and remorseful.

"I appreciate your offer, Luan, but this is something only a parent should do. And besides, Lincoln is still very upset over what you've done to him, so I don't want him going all crazy like before and possibly hurting himself even more than he is now" Rita replied.

"She has a point there, Luan. Lincoln's mental state is still unstable from what I've witnessed, and your presence may only serve to destabilize it even further" Lisa advised.

Luan couldn't deny Lisa being correct about that. Even though Lincoln calmed down after she handed Bun-Bun to him, he still bore signs of mental instability from all the injuries he had received from nearly being killed by Luan's botched prank. And despite having the mindset of a toddler, Lincoln still seemed to retain some of his original intelligence to slightly understand what people were saying to him. And he still had his memories of what had happened on April Fool's day, albeit a very small and fractured amount, so it was understandable that he'd be enraged with Luan for what had happened to him. Because of this, Luan didn't want to cause him anymore pain than he was already in.

"All right, I'll leave you be" Luan said with a sad sigh.

With that said, Rita followed Dr. Lloyd and the nurse out of the recovery room, wheeling Lincoln's IV bag pole out with them. Luan never took her eyes off Lincoln as she watched Dr. Lloyd carry him out of the room in his arms, and for a brief moment, she thought she saw Lincoln make brief eye contact with her right before the door closed.

...

...

In the shower room, Lincoln has been stripped of all clothing in order for Dr. Lloyd and Rita to clean him. The only thing remaining on him were the bandages on his head, chest, and back, the IV needle in his wrist which supplied Lincoln with painkillers and nutrients, and the cast on his broken forearm.

"I'll need to remove the bandages on his head, chest, and back before we can bathe him. Once I've removed them, I'll show you how to properly bathe him with a sponge, but you'll need to be careful as to not reopen his surgical wounds" Dr. Lloyd explained.

"What about the cast and his IV needle?" Rita questioned.

"We'll wash around them to avoid getting them wet" Lloyd answered.

Lloyd then gently placed Lincoln on the shower chamber floor, then instructed him to gently sit himself up so that he could remove his bandages. Lincoln tried to sit himself up, but found it very difficult to do so because of his busted forearm, so Rita came over and gently helped him up.

"Lincoln, we'll need you to be still so we can take your bandages off" Rita instructed calmly.

"Uh huh" Lincoln said with a nod.

He then held himself still as Dr. Lloyd began to slowly unwrap and cut the bandages loose from his chest, head, and back. The first ones Lloyd removed were the ones on Lincoln's forehead and the left and right sides of his head as well. Once they were off, Lloyd removed the ones on Lincoln's chest, then moved to the ones on Lincoln's back.

Once all the bandages were removed, Rita felt her heart sink at the sight of Lincoln's surgical wounds. They were all unsettling to see, but the largest one on his chest was the most disturbing. The incision wound on Lincoln's chest was cut in a cross shape from the bottom of his neck down to his stomach, and a second incision had been made across his ribcages. The wounds all had black stitches holding them together with small traces of dried blood around the edges.

"All right, I'll fetch a sponge and some shower gel, then we can start washing him" Lloyd said after removing all the bandages.

Rita only nodded in response as she gazed at Lincoln's wounds, feeling her sorrow increase at the sight of her son, now only a shell of his former self. Just the other day, Lincoln was a normal person who was always willing to help his family in whatever way he could. He had been willing to waltz right into all of Luan's prank traps just so his family could enjoy the rest of their day in piece, but at a horrible unexpected cost. Because of Luan and her pranking addiction, Rita had almost lost her only son.

Although Lincoln had survived, he'd never be the same again. Rita felt tears run down her face as she stared at Lincoln, feeling guilty about everything that had happened to him as a result of not just Luan's reckless behavior, but also because of her cowardice. Lincoln had been willing to endure and set off all of Luan's prank traps so that the rest of the family could enjoy their day in piece, and they just stayed behind in Lisa's bunker like a bunch of cowards while Lincoln had gone into the house and ended up being very badly injured in one of the traps almost to the point of death, slowly suffocating on his own blood from a punctured lung wound. Rita felt like a failure and a coward for not standing up to Luan and stopping her when she had the chance.

" _This is my fault,"_ Rita thought, her mind filled with guilt and regret. _"I should have been the one to enter that house, not Lincoln! No, better yet, we should have all tried to stop Luan before things got serious. If we hadn't all acted like cowards, Lincoln wouldn't be in this state"._

"Ma, you... hurt?" Lincoln asked, noticing his mother's tears.

"N-no, I'm...," Rita paused between tears and gently embraced Lincoln, trying not to injure his wounded body. "I'm sorry, Lincoln! I'm so sorry! I'm sorry that I let you try to stop Luan on your own. Had I known that this would happen, I never would have let you enter the house. I could have told you to stay in the bunker and had all of us deal with Luan, I could have gone in myself... but no. And I knew that you were putting yourself at risk too, at least that's what I remember seeing. I'm sorry, Lincoln! I'm a failure! I failed you!".

Rita broke down sobbing as she held Lincoln close to her, not wanting to let him go. Lincoln didn't completely understand what was going on, but he knew that something was wrong by seeing his mother's reactions. As Lloyd fetched a sponge and some shower gel out from the supply drawers next to the sink, he sighed sadly after hearing everything Rita had just said, even though his back was turned towards them. Lloyd couldn't imagine all the pain Lincoln's family was going through with Lincoln being nearly reduced to a vegetable by one of his sisters pranks.

Lloyd truly wondered how it was even possible for a fourteen year kid his size to survive such life threatening injuries like he did. He had witnessed many similar injuries from various accidents like this in his previous career as a volunteer EMT back in Teaneck, New Jersey, and some of them were children. However, those victims only survived for little more than an hour before succumbing to their injuries and dying in the hospital, but some of the victims weren't alive in some cases.

Lloyd suddenly recalled that one accident five years ago back in the middle of winter in Teaneck when he was still a TVAC officer, the one that still haunted him from time to time, the one time that he had witnessed a tragedy that still stuck to him all these years. He and Nelson had been called out to a fatal accident involving a wreaked Toyota Sequoia and an overturned big rig truck. The big rig had blown a tire which caused the driver to lose control and crash into the Toyota, sending it flying off the road and onto a telephone pole at 70 mph, severely injuring the female driver. She had managed to survive despite her injuries, but her three children had been ejected from the sedan where they landed in the middle of the road and got crushed to death by several other cars.

Even though Lloyd had seen a lot of bad accidents and sometimes very emotionally disturbing scenes of death, that one had been by far the worst he had ever seen in his life. It had taken several weeks for him to recover from that traumatizing scene, but as for the mother of the dead children, she had to be confined to a mental hospital after witnessing her children get crushed to death by a big rig. Lloyd couldn't imagine what that poor woman must have had to go through after seeing such a horrible tragedy occur right before her.

" _Mrs. Loud should be considered the lucky one. She didn't lose her child like that other mother did five years ago, but in a way, Lincoln may as well be gone. He may heal over time and recover some of his memories, but he'll never be the same as before, not after this"_ Lloyd thought sadly.

He honestly couldn't understand why Lincoln's own sister would do something so reckless that could have easily ended in a horrible tragedy had the paramedics not gotten to his house fast enough. Lloyd sighed sadly as he brought the sponge and shower gel over to the shower chamber. Rita had stopped sobbing and just continued to hug Lincoln, but Lloyd tapped her shoulder and brought her out of her trance.

"Um, Mrs. Loud? We should probably start washing him now" he said.

Rita wiped tears from her face, then said, "S-sorry, I just couldn't help myself. He... he's such a sweet boy, and seeing him reduced to this...".

Lloyd was at a slight loss for words as Rita wiped tears from her eyes, yet Lincoln simply stared at the two of them as if he didn't understand what was going on.

"I can understand what you must be going through, Mrs Loud. You nearly lost your son to a horrible prank accident, but I can tell you that I've seen much worse than this. Trust me, I should know, because I was a volunteer EMT five years ago in Teaneck New Jersey before moving here to Royal Woods" Lloyd sympathized calmly.

"What could possibly be worse than nearly losing your child to a horrible prank accident, only for them to survive and be reduced to that of a toddler?" Rita demanded, almost sounding insulted.

"Rita, I once responded to a serious big rig crash that left a family sedan completely crushed under the trailer of the rig, and the occupants had all been crushed to death. And there was one accident I responded to involving a DUI crash that left a ten year old girl in the same state as Lincoln, but unlike Lincoln, she only lived for about five minutes until she succumbed to her injuries and died in my ambulance while rushing to the ER. The girl had been trapped in a crushed SUV that been hit by a drunk driver driving an oversize load truck, and she ended up with a broken spine, shattered skull, and massive internal bleeding. Compared to the injuries that girl received, Lincolns injuries were practically like that of a motorcycle crash" Lloyd explained.

Rita was shocked by these morbid details. While she knew for a fact that EMT's usually had to deal with the very gruesome side of life, she couldn't imagine how horrible it must have been to witness such a tragic scene like that. Yet Rita couldn't understand what that had to do with Lincoln's condition.

"I'm not understanding what any of this has to do with Lincoln" Rita said, confused.

"What I'm implying is that you should consider yourself lucky that your son is still alive, although heavily impaired by his injuries. I've met many families who have lost their children to horrible accidents, and they weren't as lucky as you and your family were. I know this may sound a bit harsh to you, but I just want you to understand how lucky you are to have not lost a member of your family like so many others have in the past" Lloyd explained.

Rita looked down at Lincoln, who looked curious about the whole situation, then back at Lloyd. She had to admit that he was right about what he said. Lincoln wouldn't be the same again, but he was still alive, and she should be grateful for that. If Rita had lost her only son, she didn't know how she'd ever get over such a tragedy, let alone Lincoln's sisters.

"Y-your right," Rita said, calming down. "I just... I just never even thought something like this could ever happen, and was partly my fault. If me and Lynn just put a stop to my daughter ourselves, this might have been avoided. Lincoln had such a bright future ahead for himself, but now...".

Rita just stopped on that sentence, tearing up again, but Lloyd comforted her.

"I know, but I'm sure for a fact that your daughter Luan didn't mean to do it intentionally, and she's not the only prankster who's done something like this. I responded to a lot of prank involved accidents in my days as an EMT, and some of them were far worse than this" Lloyd said.

"I see," Rita said. "I don't think I even want to know about those".

"Indeed," Lloyd nodded. "Now, we should get to washing Lincoln".

* * *

 **A/N: Finally done! It seems Lloyd had quite a past as an EMT, and Ronnie Anne didn't seem to take the situation well. Will Lincoln recover even more? And will he remember more of his past with Ronnie Anne? Stay tuned to find out.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: FINALLY DONE! It's been awhile, but this new chapter is up and ready. In this chapter, the Casagrande's arrive along with Ronnie Anne's mother to see Lincoln while Lisa sneaks off to find Lincoln's medical files in hopes of finding info that could save her brother's life. However, Lisa later overhears something shocking from Dr. Lloyd that could change the lives of the Loud Family forever.**

 **Disclaimer: My OC characters are all that I own.**

* * *

Chapter 7: Lisa's Shocking Discovery

It had taken Rita and Dr. Lloyd a few minutes to completely sponge bath Lincoln entirely, and despite his condition, Lincoln didn't struggle at all when being bathed with the warm shower water. To their surprise, Lincoln seemed to slightly enjoy the whole experience, as he grabbed another sponge and tried washing himself.

"Oh, careful there, kiddo," Lloyd said as Lincoln pressed the sponge near his surgical wounds near his chest. "You might hurt yourself if you press there too hard".

"Uh?" Lincoln muttered, looking down at his wounds.

He looked slightly upset when he noticed them and began to grimace at the sight of the black stitches holding his surgical wounds together.

"W-what... this? What... here?" Lincoln asked in that slurred, retarded tone while sounding slightly nervous.

"You had surgery right there, and those stitches are holding the wounds together. If they get too wet, they might come loose, so you'll need to be careful" Rita warned him.

Lincoln didn't seem to understand what Rita was talking about, and it wasn't that much of a surprise to either of them. Since his mindset was still that of a toddler, though Lincoln seemed to have recovered a little of his memories, he had trouble understanding complex issues like this.

"I'm not sure Lincoln gets what your saying, Ms. Loud. He doesn't seem to understand complex issues and situations like this due to his mindset" Lloyd informed her.

"How can I make him understand what I'm telling him?" Rita wondered.

"You'll have to communicate with him the way you would a toddler. Like I said, Lincoln's mindset is still that of a toddler, so you'll need to communicate with him the way you would with that small toddler daughter of yours" Lloyd answered.

Rita looked back at Lincoln, who was touching his stitches with his one hand and reached her hand out towards him to make him stop.

"Lincoln, don't do that, sweetie. You'll hurt yourself" Rita said, not wanting him to reopen his surgical wounds.

"Hurts... it hurts" Lincoln said in a painful voice.

"I know, sweetie. But you need to let them heal, so you need to not touch them" Rita urged Lincoln.

Lincoln didn't seem to understand what she had said, because he tried scratching the wounds again.

"Uh... uh! Hurts! Stop... not stop!" Lincoln moaned in pain while scratching.

"Lincoln, no! You have to stop doing that!" Rita urged more sternly this time and grabbed Lincoln's free hand, which still had his IV needle in it.

Rita assumed Lincoln wouldn't struggle since she had a hold of his hand with the IV needle still inside it, but she was wrong. Lincoln continued to struggle, forcing Rita to tighten her grip.

"No! Let... go! Stop!" Lincoln yelled, struggling even more.

"Please Lincoln! Try to understand me!" Rita begged him.

"Stop! You hurt me! Stop!" Lincoln cried, feeling his IV needle pushing deeper into his wrist, and it hurt.

"I'm not trying to hurt you, Lincoln. I'm trying to help you" Rita replied, trying to get Lincoln under control.

"No! You hurt... hand! My hand... hurt!" Lincoln said, looking down at his hand while struggling.

"Ms. Loud, your gripping too tight on his IV needle" Lloyd pointed out.

Rita looked at Lincoln, who had a pained look on his face, then she gently let go of his wrist. Lincoln tried to stand up, but couldn't move due to his paralysis.

"Can't... move. Why... can't move?" Lincoln moaned, squirming about.

"Lincoln, your paralyzed from the waist down. You won't be able to move your legs" Rita said in a sad voice.

A puzzled look came over Lincoln's face as he seemed to be trying to understand what his mother was saying, but he no longer understood the meaning of the word "paralyzed", so this left him confused.

"Par? Par... zed?" Lincoln stammered, trying to speak clearly.

"He doesn't seem to understand what your saying, Ms. Loud. Lincoln doesn't know the meaning of the word paralyzed" Dr. Lloyd replied.

Rita didn't know what else to do or how to make Lincoln understand her. The situation was slightly frustrating, but at the same time, saddening. Lincoln's mind was a brain damaged mess, and Rita had no idea how to properly communicate with him to get him to understand serious situations. She expected this however, knowing how bad his cranial injuries were.

 _"This is just horrible! Lincoln's mind is all messed up, and I can't do anything about it!"_ Rita thought, feeling tears forming in her eyes again.

"Ma, why you hurt?" Lincoln asked, noticing the tears in Rita's eyes.

"I... I'm fine, sweetie. Just... just please don't try and hurt yourself" Rita replied, wiping the tears from her eyes.

Lincoln nodded slowly and lay still against the shower wall as Rita then took a sponge and washed the rest of the soap off of Lincoln's body. Lloyd then fetched a towel and handed it to Rita, then showed her how to properly dry him off without opening his wounds. Once Lincoln was all dried off, Rita and Lloyd helped redress him with a new hospital gown and a diaper. Lincoln didn't seem to like the diaper that much, because he struggled a bit as Rita helped Dr. Lloyd strap it on him.

"No... no! Not... no!" Lincoln stuttered as the diaper was strapped on him.

"Sorry sweetie, but its for your own good" Rita said sadly.

"All right, lets get him back to his hospital room" Lloyd said, then gently lifted Lincoln up in his arms.

Rita slowly followed behind him while wheeling Lincoln's IV pole with her.

...

...

Meanwhile in Lincoln's hospital room, the Casagrande's had arrived along with Ronnie Anne's mother to see how Lincoln was recovering, and they all looked just as worried as Lincoln's sisters did. They had all been made aware of how serious Lincoln's injuries were and were all fearing for his well being, as well as his life.

"Will Lincoln recognise any of us?" Maria Santiago asked Lori.

"Its hard to say. His memory with us is still fuzzy in a lot of areas, so I can't be sure" Lori replied.

"I just hope he isn't in any pain" Carlota said worriedly.

As if on cue, Dr. Lloyd came into the hospital room with Lincoln in his arms, followed by Rita who was wheeling in his IV pole. As soon as the Casagrande's got a good look at Lincoln and his surgical wounds, they felt despair rip through them. Since he had no bandages, Lincoln's surgical wounds were completely visible, and they looked very unsettling.

"My god! What happened to him?!" Frida exclaimed in shock.

"The poor boy looks like a train hit him" Rosa added.

Lincoln stared at the Casagrandes in confusion, obviously not recognizing any of them, though Ronnie Anne had been an exception.

"Whoa dude, why's Lincoln in diapers?" Carlino asked, noticing the diaper on Lincoln.

"He's not able to use the restroom properly like before due to his brain damage, so he has to wear one for now" Rita answered.

"This is horrible" Hector said.

Dr. Lloyd set Lincoln back down on his bed, which now had clean sheets on it, then told one of the nurses to fetch some fresh bandages. Lincoln trembled as several nurses approached him with bandages and medical tape, clearly nervous and distressed.

"N-no! What... doing?" Lincoln stammered, trembling.

"I need you to hold still, Lincoln. We need to dress your surgical wounds so that they'll heal properly" one of the male nurses said, gently taking a hold of Lincoln's good hand.

Lincoln seemed to understand this, because he stayed still as the two nurses begin to slowly and gently redress Lincoln's surgical wounds.

"I guess it really is true. He really was injured very badly" Maria said sadly.

"Yes, I'm afraid so, Ms. Santiago" Rita replied in a saddened tone.

"No thanks to her" Ronnie Anne said, glaring over at Luan.

"Now now, she didn't do it on purpose. It was only an accident" Rosa said.

"Yeah, some accident. Lincoln's practically a vegetable because of Luan" Ronnie Anne pointed out.

"Ronnie Anne, your not the only one who's upset here. All of us are," Frida said in a scolding voice. "Yet that doesn't mean we should treat Luan like garbage. We need to put it behind us and move on".

Ronnie Anne glanced over at Luan, who was standing furthest away from the rest of her family looking upset and downtrodden. It was clear that she still felt horrible from her pranking accident.

"I still don't trust Luan" Ronnie Anne said coldly.

Dr. Lloyd and the nurses finished redressing Lincoln's wounds with fresh bandages, then they informed his family and the Casagrande's that they could stay as long as they wanted until 10:00 PM, then they left the room. The Casagrande's and Lincoln's sister then began speaking to Lincoln and trying to converse with him, but he seemed to be having a very hard time trying to converse back. Lincoln's mindset made it very difficult to do so. Lynn Sr. and Rita just stood furthest away from the group next to Luan, who looked upset.

"You going to try and speak to Lincoln? Maybe try and apologize to him?" Rita asked her.

"Its not like it'll do anything. He hates me. Even with brain damage, he still hates me" Luan answered in a depressed tone in voice.

"I can't exactly blame him. After what you did, it's gonna be awhile before he ever trusts you again" Lynn Sr said, not trying to insult her.

Luan knew this was true, and she couldn't blame Lincoln either. If he decided never to trust Luan again, she wouldn't be surprised. Lincoln had every right to hate Luan after everything she had done to him. He'd never be able to reach his full potential in maturity due to his injuries, and he'd never be able to walk again either. Luan had truly messed up big time, and she knew that even if it was possible for Lisa to try and repair some of the damage done to Lincoln's body, she wouldn't be able to repair all of it. Luan looked around the room and then noticed something; Lisa was absent from the room.

"Hey, where's Lisa?" Luan asked her parents.

Rita and Lynn Sr looked around the room, but couldn't find her anywhere. They then asked Lincoln's sisters and the Casagrande's if they saw Lisa leave the room, but they all shook their heads.

...

...

Unknown to all of them, Lisa had snuck out of the room and followed Dr. Lloyd down the hall towards a large office room which was labeled, "MEDICAL FILES". To avoid being seen, she hid behind a portable hospital bed until Lloyd emerged from inside the room and headed off to another part of the hospital. Once Lloyd was fully out of sight, Lisa left her hiding spot and headed towards the door, hoping it wasn't locked. To her relief, it was unlocked, allowing her to enter the room without any trouble. The room was a small square shaped chamber with large filing cabinets lining each side of the walls, all with letters ranging from A-Z.

"This may take longer than I thought" Lisa muttered, heading over to the first filing cabinet on her left.

She opened the bottom drawer and skimmed through the files in the "L" section in hopes of finding Lincoln's medical file. Lisa's plan was to find the file with Lincoln's X-ray's and info on his current medical condition in hopes of being able to assess the amount of damage done to Lincoln's spine and brain. If Lisa were able to get a more accurate look at Lincoln's internal injuries from the X-rays and from the CT scan results, she might have a chance at possibly repairing some of the damage done to his spine and his brain. While Lisa knew that not all of Lincoln's injuries may be curable due to the severity of how much damage his internal organs took from the prank accident, she hoped that she could at least heal some of the damage done to Lincoln's brain. However, Lisa knew that Lincoln would still remain paralyzed from the waist down. Dr. Lloyd had said that shattered pieces of Lincoln's spine had been surgically removed due to how extensive the damage was, so there was no way of repairing it.

Lisa already had a plan on how to heal some of her brother's injuries, yet she still needed Lincoln's medical files if she were to go through with it in order to prevent any further accidents. Lisa had used her siblings for many of her experiments in the past, and many of them didn't end very well, and this was definitely one experiment that Lisa knew she couldn't mess up. Lincoln's life could possibly be on the line, and if Lisa screwed something up, it could very well mean the death of Lincoln.

"It's gotta be here somewhere" Lisa muttered, growing impatient as she continued to search through the medical files.

It would seem that finding Lincoln's file wouldn't be so easy. There were many other filing cabinets with files under "L", so Lisa figured she'd be in there for quite awhile. She still wanted to be as quick with her search as she could though, as she was afraid that Dr. Lloyd or another hospital staff member might enter the room and chase Lisa out, ruining any chance she had of finding the info she needed to try and help Lincoln. Having no such luck with the first cabinet, Lisa tried the second one next to her, hoping to find Lincoln's file. However, it wasn't there either, so she tried the third filing cabinet; no luck there either. As Lisa was about to move to the forth cabinet, she heard approaching footsteps from outside the room.

"Shoot! Better hide" Lisa said, frantically looking for a hiding spot.

She saw an empty storage locker near the far right corner of the room, so she ran over and squeezed inside it just as the person entered the room; it was Dr. Lloyd. Lisa made sure the locker was fully closed as Lloyd approached one of the filing cabinets and pulled it open, muttering to himself as he did so. Lloyd then looked down at the opened filing cabinet door that Lisa had forgot to close and walked over to it.

"Hmm, I could have sworn this was closed the last time I was in here. Must have missed it" Lloyd said to himself, then pushed it closed with his foot.

Lisa then watched Lloyd place a file inside the sixth filing cabinet in the "L" section, then he said something unsettling.

"I really wished I could have told the Loud family the truth about Lincoln, about what I found in his new X-ray an hour ago, but if I did...," Lloyd paused with a sad sigh. "I don't think they'd be able to handle it. How am I supposed to tell them that Lincoln has only a month left to live?".

Lisa felt her heart nearly stop when she heard Lloyd say that. Lincoln had only a month left to live?! What did Dr. Lloyd mean by that? Lisa began to feel her heart beat faster than it had ever beat before. What had Dr. Lloyd found on Lincoln's X-ray that was so serious that it'd cost him his life in one month? Whatever it was, Lisa knew it couldn't be good. She then watched Dr. Lloyd place an X-ray folder into the filing cabinet under the "L" section, then he sighed as he shut the drawer.

"I'll have to tell them all at some point, otherwise, they'll never forgive me" Dr. Lloyd said sadly as he then turned around and left the room.

As soon as Dr. Lloyd was gone, Lisa emerged from inside the locker, feeling more anxious than ever. Despite being a six-year old prodigy and rarely showing any sorrowful emotions, this one moment nearly made Lisa lose it. The thought of Lincoln dying from some unknown injury terrified Lisa, and she knew that the answers she sought were in his files. Lucky for Lisa, she had seen which drawer Dr. Lloyd had placed the X-ray, so she wouldn't have to continue her search any longer. The file was luckily in the second filing cabinet drawer, so Lisa was able to reach it easily. Once she opened it, she found a file in the "L" section labeled "LINCOLN LOUD" and pulled it out, then Lisa opened up the file to see Lincoln's medical test results from both his X-ray's, CT scans, and surgical files. The first one Lisa checked was an X-ray photo taken from one of Lincoln's CT scans, which she held up in the light to get a better look at, and what she saw shocked her.

The X-Ray Lisa held was the one taken the day Lincoln was brought into the hospital right after the horrible prank accident, and it looked as horrible as Dr. Lloyd has described. A large piece of Lincoln's skull around his forehead had been broken in a triangular shape and had been embedded deep into the frontal lobe of his brain, and a long crack could be seen near the sides of his skull along with what appeared to be multiple bruises around certain areas of Lincoln's brain. The CT scan showed Lincoln's spine completely cracked and broken near his waistline with several spinal disks shattered into pieces, and also several broken rib bones and the puncture wound in Lincoln's left lung. The next few X-Rays were the ones taken after Lincoln's surgery, and then there was one more that had been taken just a few hours ago; this was the one that Lisa had been dreading to see. This X-ray was a CT brain scan showing a more detailed and advanced image of Lincoln's brain, and Lisa noticed something near the very bottom area of the brain a few inches ahead of the brain stem, but it was hard to see since the light was slightly out of focus. Once Lisa moved the X-ray more into the light, she saw what it actually was, and it made her heart skip a beat. A scraggy white blotch could be seen in the X-ray that extended a few inches around the bottom of Lincoln's brain, and upon closer inspection, Lisa realized in horror that it was a brain hemorrhage. It wasn't very big, but it was easily visible on the X-ray and easy to miss unless you looked close enough.

"N-no! Why? Why didn't the doctor say anything?!" Lisa said in an angry tone of voice.

She couldn't understand why Dr. Lloyd would keep something like this from her family, and more so, how could such a small brain hemorrhage kill Lincoln in just a month? Surely it could be surgically drained since it was so small, right? However, upon inspecting the area where the hemorrhage was located, Lisa understood why. The hemorrhage was way too far down into the brain which would make it extremely difficult and dangerous for the surgeons to maneuver a micro suction tube around the brain flaps. The only way to reach that far down into the brain would be to make incisions into it with surgical knives, which would prove fatal. Radiation treatment would also do no good since the hemorrhage wasn't a tumor, and that meant only one thing; Lincoln wouldn't survive for long. The hemorrhage would keep getting larger over time until it eventually killed Lincoln, and Lisa felt her eyes well up with tears at this horrible realization.

"No! This can't be! This can't happen! It can't!" Lisa whimpered softly, almost on the verge of a breakdown.

She looked at the X-ray's, then at Lincoln's medical files, and came to a conclusion. The only way that she'd have any chance at saving Lincoln's life was if she had copies of the original files. Lisa had recently being working on a special invention before the pranking accident, one that would revolutionize medical advancement, yet she had put it on hold for a time after Lincoln's horrible accident. Lisa realized that this invention would hopefully be the key to saving Lincoln's life, but she'd need copies of Lincoln's medical files in order to help her know how to treat Lincoln properly. Luckily for Lisa, she had snuck Lori's cell phone into her pocket for this very occasion. She pulled out the phone and snapped several photos of Lincoln's X-rays, CT scans, and medical files, then slipped it back into her pocket and placed the original files back inside the filing cabinet. As Lisa headed out of the medical files room, she reflected on what she had heard Lloyd say about how Lincoln had only a month to live and felt her heart beat faster with both fear and anxiety.

Lisa vowed to complete this invention before the end of the month and try to save her brothers life before it was too late. She also wondered if she should tell her parents about what she heard, but quickly decided against it. Lisa's family was already under enough pressure with Lincoln being in his current state, and if she were to tell them what she had just heard Dr. Lloyd say, this would make things so much worse than they were now. Luan was also suffering the worst since she had been the cause of all this, and if she were to hear that her brother would die in just one month due to a fatal brain hemorrhage, she'd probably end up falling into much deeper depression than she was in now. Lisa wouldn't be too surprised if she tried to commit suicide.

Sighing sadly, Lisa said, "I'll find a way to save you, bro'. I swear upon my life, I won't let you die, not while I'm still breathing".

She then headed back towards the recovery room, praying for a miracle.

* * *

 **A/N: Oh no! It seems Lincoln is in more trouble than Lisa thought. Will Lisa find a way to complete her secret invention to try and save Lincoln, or will he be doomed to perish in one month?**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hey folks, the next chapter is up! In this chapter, we get a brief glimpse at Lisa's new invention that she plans to construct to save Lincoln's life, but not after telling her parents the horrible secret that Dr. Lloyd failed to mention at the hospital. How will Rita and Lynn Sr react to this? Read on to find out.**

 **Disclaimer: My OC Characters are all that I own.**

* * *

Chapter 8: Lisa's Plan

Back at home, several hours later around 4:00 PM, Lisa stood in the bathroom feeling most discouraged over what she had seen in that X-ray back at the hospital. She made a personal note to herself to not let anyone in the family know what was on that X-ray, at least not yet. Everyone was already under enough stress as it was, and if Lisa revealed the images of what she had seen in Lincoln's recent X-ray, she had no doubt that it would drive the entire family to the very brink of despair. Luckily, Lisa had managed to download the images of the X-ray off of Lori's cellphone onto a laptop in her room near Lily's crib, then deleted the original ones off the phone to ensure Lori wouldn't find out the truth and go revealing it to the whole family.

"One month, that's all the time I've got... until Lincoln..." Lisa stuttered softly, stopping herself mid sentence.

Never before had Lisa felt this frightened in all her life. Sure, there were moments when she got spooked or shocked, usually whenever Lucy showed up suddenly behind her without making a sound. However, this wasn't anything like before. Lisa felt true, genuine fear rushing through her entire body, and she was doing all she could to keep herself from having an emotional breakdown. Even though Lisa was the most intelligent sibling in the Loud family and rarely ever showed such emotions like sadness, fear, and sorrow, finding out the horrible truth of possibly losing her only brother to a growing brain hemorrhage was something that even Lisa had trouble controlling her emotions over. Not only was Lisa scared out of her mind, but also very angry at Dr. Lloyd for keeping something this serious a secret from the entire Loud family. While Lisa had a pretty good idea as to why he neglected to tell her family about the brain hemorrhage, she couldn't forgive Dr. Lloyd for keeping silent about it.

"Why didn't he say anything? Why couldn't he just tell us?" Lisa muttered angrily.

She knew deep down that she'd have to reveal the horrible truth to her family at some point, but Lisa decided not to do it until her invention was complete. She wanted to ensure that there was still a chance to try and save Lincoln's life by showing her family her new secret invention once it was ready, otherwise, the whole family would sink further into despair. Lisa had completed the blueprints needed to construct her new invention, which she had named C.N.I Unit, short for "Cranial Nanite Injection Unit". This device was designed with a highly advanced nanite injection system that was capable of injecting thousands of cell sized nanites into a human brain which were all programmed to surgically regenerate and repair damaged brain tissue and other internal injuries. Lisa had already run several diagnostics on the nanites and found that they all worked perfectly after injecting a few of them into her left hand earlier. Several cuts she had received on her hand from a few failed experiments were fully regenerated and healed in less than three minutes after Lisa injected the nanites inside herself.

Seeing as how these nanites worked perfectly on their first test run, Lisa planned to use them to try and repair some of the damage done to Lincoln's brain, but doing this would require a much larger quantity of nanites since the damage was very serious. To do this, Lisa would need to build a machine capable of being able to handle extra large doses of nanites, and that's where the C.N.I Unit came in. This machine would synthesize millions of microscopic nanites with a built in nanite synthesizer, then inject them into a persons brain using a large cranial injection needle attached to a large extendable arm on the front. The nanites would then travel around the brain and regenerate any damaged brain tissue and blood vessels that they came in contact with. These nanites weren't made to last forever, as they'd eventually degrade and dissolve in the blood stream after their work was done. If any further treatment was needed, the patient would have to be injected with a new batch of nanites, as they weren't made to last forever.

Obtaining the parts for the machine hadn't been too difficult, as Lisa was able to use her connections with the medical universities she had gotten her scholarships from to obtain the parts needed to construct the Cranial Nanite Injection Unit. The only problem was that constructing the machine would take at least two weeks to complete due to how complex and advanced the design was, and this meant that Lisa would most likely have to skip some days of school in order to complete the machines construction on time. She was pretty sure that her parents wouldn't approve of this, which meant that she'd eventually have to reveal the truth of what was on Lincoln's X-ray sooner than she anticipated. Sighing, Lisa exited the bathroom and made the hardest decision she had ever made thus far.

"I have to tell Mom and Dad about this. It's the only way that they'll understand what I have to do" Lisa said to herself as she walked slowly down the hall towards her parents room.

She made a personal note to only let her parents know about what she had found out earlier in the hospital. If her sisters were to find out, it would only cause more tension to increase in the household, and Lisa already knew that her parents were undoubtedly going to be devastated once Lisa told them everything. Before Lisa headed for her parents room, she quickly fetched her laptop from in her room, then rushed back out into the hall and headed for her parents room. Once Lisa made it up to the door of her parents room, she slowly pushed it open to see Rita and Lynn Sr gazing out the window and murmuring to themselves about Lincoln, then Lisa entered the room and shut the door which caught her parents attention.

"Oh! Lisa, you surprised us" Lynn Sr exclaimed.

"Is something wrong?" Rita asked.

Lisa sighed, then said in a sad, yet serious tone, "I'm afraid there is".

"What is it?" Lynn Sr asked worriedly.

Lisa hesitated for a few seconds, then said, "I... I found out something at the hospital earlier today that I... I thought only you should know for now. It's about Lincoln".

Rita and Lynn Sr's expressions changed to a look of fear and concern when Lisa said that.

"What?! What are you talking about, Lisa? I'm pretty sure we know enough about Lincoln and his condition. Dr. Lloyd mentioned all the details to us" Lynn Sr questioned.

"No," Lisa said, her expression turning to a look of anger. "He may have told you about Lincoln's current condition, but there's something he failed, or rather, refused to mention".

"What?! What do you mean, Lisa?" What's going on?" Rita demanded.

Sighing, Lisa said, "When I was... looking for the bathroom in the hospital earlier, I saw Dr. Lloyd in the medical files room looking at Lincoln's medical file, and I heard him mentioning something... very disturbing. Something he didn't want you to find out right away".

Rita and Lynn Sr now looked even more worried and frightened as they listened to Lisa reveal the horrifying news to them.

"What did he mention? Tell me!" Rita urged Lisa.

Lisa opened her laptop, then said, "I should probably show you the truth while I mention it".

She then revealed the brightened image of Lincoln's X-ray to her parents, which got them slightly confused at first.

"Lisa, what is this?" Rita asked.

"Its an X-ray of Lincoln's brain, and what I found on it is... very concerning" Lisa replied, zooming the image in towards the area of the brain where the hemorrhage was located and pointed at it. "This here... is what Dr. Lloyd was keeping from all of us, and given the fact that mom is a dentist and has knowledge of X-rays, I'm sure you two can guess what this white blotchy area on this X-ray is".

Rita and Lynn Sr looked closer and noticed the white blotch, then Rita's expressions turned from fear to full on terror.

"W-what is that?" Lynn Sr stammered, now scared out of his mind.

"Oh god! No! Oh god, no," Rita gasped. "Is... is that what I think it is?!".

Lisa nodded sadly and said, "Yes, its a brain hemorrhage. It was almost impossible to see until I did a full zoom in of the image and got a better look at the area, but there's no mistaking it, and I overheard Dr. Lloyd saying that there's no way of surgically removing it without killing Lincoln since its too far down inside the brain to properly remove with conventional means of surgery. Because of this, Lincoln has... only one month to live until... until the hemorrhage grows big enough to cause fatal damage to his brain. When that happens, Lincoln's brain will go into shock, and any and all brain activity... will cease to exist. To put it simply, Lincoln will die".

Words couldn't even describe the horror and shock that now ran through every fiber of Rita and Lynn Sr's bodies as they took in everything that their daughter was telling them. They wanted to believe that this was all some horrible joke, but they both knew deep down that Lisa would never joke around about something this deadly serious, and they knew she wasn't known to make mistakes on something like this given her smart intellect. Rita and Lynn Sr knew that everything Lisa had just said was true, and there was no denying it, not when they also had the evidence right in front of their very eyes.

"N-no! NO! I... I won't accept this! I WON'T!" Rita suddenly cried out in both sorrow and anger, shaking her head.

"Rita, calm down" Lynn Sr urged her.

Rita glared at him with anger in her eyes, then said, "I have no intention of calming down, Lynn! How could the doctor keep something like this from us?! He should have said something! Damn it! HE SHOULD HAVE TOLD US THE TRUTH!".

Tears were now visible in Rita's eyes as Lynn Sr hugged her, then he glared down at Lisa.

"Lisa, why didn't you tell us about this at the hospital earlier?! Do you have any idea how serious this is?!" Lynn Sr snapped.

"I didn't want my siblings or the Casagrandes to know about this since they were already under a lot of emotional pressure over Lincoln's condition. If I were to break the news to them that Lincoln would die at the end of the month, it would only make the situation worse. And then there's also Luan," Lisa explained. "If Luan were to find out about this, she'd probably end up falling into an even worse depression than she's currently facing now. Its possible through my calculations of her stress levels, that if Luan were faced with the revelation that she was the cause of the soon to be death of her brother, she may even end up attempting to commit suicide due to the unbearable amount of grief she'd be facing from Lincoln's death. While I can't say for certain that this would be a guarantee, it is the most probable scenario that I can foresee happening, given Luan's emotional and mental state at this time. This is why I wanted to inform only you and Mom about this".

Lynn Sr wanted to protest as Rita sobbed softly on his shoulder, but he had to admit that Lisa had a good point. Luan was in a very emotionally unstable state ever since Lincoln's accident at her hands on April Fools Day, and if she were to suddenly learn that Lincoln would die at the end of the month due to a brain hemorrhage, there was a good chance that it would cause Luan to lose all sense of mentality and rationality. It would possibly even drive her to suicide like Lisa had speculated.

"I take it from reading your expression that you understand why I stayed silent until this moment, an I right? Lisa asked Lynn Sr, still with a bit of regret in her voice.

"Yes, after giving it some thought, I can see why you'd do this," Lynn Sr nodded. "Yet, I don't honestly see the point of keeping it a secret anymore. If Lincoln's going to... to... die, we should at least tell everyone else the truth".

Lisa shook her head and said, "That won't happen. I found a way to save Lincoln, and I think it may just work".

Rita looked over at Lisa, wiped tears from her eyes, then asked, "What do you mean by that?".

Lisa tapped away at her laptop, then brought up the blueprints and 3D image of the Cranial Nanite Injection unit and pointed at them.

"Lisa, what is that?" Lynn Sr asked in confusion.

"It's the machine that will save Lincoln's life. I've already completed the blueprints for it, and several of the medical universities I received my scholarships from sent me the parts needed to construct it. The machine is called a Cranial Nanite Injection unit, or C.N.I unit for short, and it will revolutionize medical technology all over the world" Lisa explained.

Lynn Sr and Rita gazed at the 3D image of the machine, feeling a mix of different emotions upon seeing it.

"What exactly does this thing do, Lisa?" Rita asked, slightly intrigued, but with a bit of caution in her tone.

"This machine synthesizes millions of microscopic nanites programmed to remove brain tumors and hemorrhages by using a set of built in regeneration emitters that rapidly accelerates molecule growth," Lisa explained. "They can also use a reverse effect to eliminate brain tumors by breaking them down into millions of particles and then reshaping them into new brain tissue, and the same thing can be done with brain hemorrhages. Once the nanites are fully synthesized, this machine injects them into the brain using a large 25 inch injection needle that can be attached to the front of the long arm as shown on the blueprint. Once inside the brain, the nanites will seek out the damage with advanced sensors and repair it as I mentioned".

Lynn Sr and Rita were very impressed with the design of this machine. It had a dragster shaped body with four wheels on each corner, a set of navigation lights on the front, along with what appeared to be a charging port on the bottom left side and a warning label next to it, warning the user not to overcharge the unit. The back of the machine had a long cylinder which extended about two feet with a control panel on the end with various buttons, levers, and a status screen. Two handles were built into the sides of the panel to allow the user to maneuver the machine around. Atop the dragster shaped body was a large robotic arm with a large oval shaped apparatus on the end which had the main nanite synthesizing unit built into the top which had a small connector with a long hose attached to it that extended a few feet and held halfway above the main unit with a set of cables screwed into the upper arm of the machine which had the injection needle cylinder attached at the end. On top of the machine was the upper arm, capable of rotating from left to right, and on the very top was a cone shaped device with what appeared to be a visor built into it. At the end of the long arm was a long cylinder with a long, 25 inch injection needle attached to it which would inject the nanites into the patients brain. The middle arm of the machine was also designed to allow the whole upper half of the unit to extend outward and inward, making it easier to inject nanites into the brain.

"Lisa, how long will this thing take to construct?" Lynn Sr asked curiously.

"Due to how advanced and complex the design and engineering are, I'd estimate no less than a full month" Lisa answered.

"An entire month?!" Rita exclaimed, both in shock and fear.

"Yes, unfortunately so," Lisa nodded. "That is why I must begin work on building the machine right away if I'm to complete it on time before the end of the month, or Lincoln may not make it. There's also another issue that I face, and that's time. In order to fully complete construction on this machine, I will require every minute of each day, and that means that my school days for this month must be postponed".

"Wait, you mean that you'll end up having to miss school?" Rita asked, not sounding too happy.

"Yes, its the only way that I'll be able to fully construct the C.N.I unit in time before the end of the month, or Lincoln won't live to see another month. I know that the idea of me missing school for a month may concern you both, but if you want Lincoln to survive, its the only way" Lisa explained.

Lynn Sr and Rita were silent for over a whole minute, pondering everything that Lisa had just explained to them. While they didn't like the idea of Lisa missing school for a whole month, they also didn't like the fact that Lincoln's life was practically on the line due to a growing hemorrhage that Dr. Lloyd refused to mention to them, and this made them really consider their options.

"Lisa," Lynn Sr finally said. "I... I don't know if this is a good idea, you missing school for a whole month, that is".

"Lynn, I think we should give Lisa a chance. We've known how intelligent she is since she was a toddler, and I trust her" Rita suggested.

"Rita, I still don't know about this," Lynn Sr protested. "Lisa's performed experiments on many of us in the past, and they didn't usually go all that well. What if this machine of hers does something to Lincoln, something horrible".

"I can assure you that this machine is safe and will cause no harm to its patients," Lisa said. "It has a set of built in safety sensors and is programmed with emergency protocols in the event that something goes wrong. I've done several virtual test simulations and they've all gone well, so I can promise you two that no harm will come to Lincoln when this machine is complete".

"Lisa, I don't know if missing school for a month is a good idea. I mean, I know you want to save Lincoln, but..." Rita paused, not knowing what to say.

"Mom, if I don't miss school, the machine won't get completed on time. If it isn't fully constructed by the end of the month, the hemorrhage in Lincoln's brain will grow large enough to kill him. Is that really what you want?" Lisa protested, sounding a bit more serious.

"Of course we don't, Lisa," Lynn Sr replied. "But I really don't think that this is a good idea. I'm afraid of what this machine might do to Lincoln".

"I have to agree with your father, Lisa," Rita said. "I really don't know if this machine is safe. Virtual simulation is different from the real thing, and that doesn't necessarily mean that success is guaranteed".

"So that's how it is, then," Lisa replied, now sounded both upset and with a hint of anger in her voice. "So your basically saying that your not willing to give me the one chance to save Lincoln's life, and that you'd rather let him die just because you don't want me to miss school?".

"That's not what we mean, Lisa," Rita replied. "We're just concerned that this machine may not be safe".

"I told you that I ran several simulations and that they were all successful," Lisa responded, now sounding both frustrated and angry. "Have I ever lied to you about something like this? This isn't like my other past inventions. I've put my very heart and soul into inventing this machine, and to making sure its fully safe and operational, and for a very good reason. My brothers life is on the line, and I can't mess this up like the other ones, not this time".

"Lisa-" Lynn Sr started, but was cut off.

"Let me ask you two this," Lisa said, now visibly angry. "Would you rather just let me sit back and do nothing when I have the perfect opportunity to save Lincoln's life, or at least take the chance with a bit of hope that my invention succeeds? Lincoln is going to die at the end of the month, and I'm the only chance he has at surviving. Even if there's a chance that something does go wrong, which I have faith won't, would you rather take the risk rather than just let Lincoln die of a brain hemorrhage? If so, then just know that you'll be letting not just Lincoln down, but the rest of us down as well. Do you really want to live with that for the rest of your life, knowing you had an opportunity to save someone you loved, but just cast aside because of your cowardice. Hell, cowardice is the main reason Lincoln ended up in the predicament he's in now because of all of our cowardice in not standing up to Luan and putting a stop to her pranks. While I can agree that the fault is partly Luan's for not properly checking her prank traps for any flaws, the blame is still partly our fault as well for not putting a stop to Luan's pranks, and don't you think it up to you to at least make it all up to Lincoln by giving me this one chance of a lifetime to try and save his life? Have we learned nothing from everything that happened on April Fool's Day?".

Rita and Lynn Sr were shocked at how serious Lisa sounded just now. They wanted to protest, but they both know that everything Lisa had just said was true, and there was no denying it. Cowardice was the main factor in Lincoln's accident, in addition to recklessness on Luan's part, and it had nearly cost Lincoln his life. After considering these facts and giving them some well deserved thought, Rita and Lynn Sr decided that it would only be fair if they let Lisa have a shot at saving Lincoln's life, even if this meant risking it as well.

"Lynn, she's right," Rita said with guilt in her voice. "As much as I want to deny it, I can't. We're all as much to blame for what happened to Lincoln, and I can't ignore the fact that he may die by the end of the month after seeing the evidence of Lincoln's X-ray, and neither should you".

"I know that, its just...," Lynn Sr paused for a brief moment. "I... I'm so worried about what might happen if this machine of hers malfunctions. What if Lincoln-".

"Lynn," Rita cut in. "I have faith in Lisa that this machine will work. I know that some of her past experiments on us haven't been very successful, but given how serious this situation is, I truly believe that we should at least give Lisa a shot at saving Lincoln's life with this invention of hers. I know she's basically risking Lincoln's life by doing this, but I'd rather take that chance than just throw away any shot we have a saving him. Lisa is a very intelligent child, and I believe in her".

Lynn Sr glanced down at the 3D image of the C.N.I unit on Lisa's laptop, then made his decision.

"All right," Lynn Sr said in defeat. "If there's any chance of saving Lincoln, I'll accept it, even if it means risking his life in the process".

Lisa smiled, then said, "I promise you both that I'll do everything in my power to save Lincoln's life. I won't let you or the rest of my family down".

Rita nodded, then said, "I know you will, honey. I'll be sure to notify your school after spring break that you'll be taking a leave of absence for the rest of the month".

"Very well," Lisa nodded, then shut her laptop. "I'll begin constructing the machine right away".

Lisa then left her parents room and headed off downstairs towards the basement to begin work on constructing the C.N.I unit, leaving Rita and Lynn Sr feeling more hopeful for the future. However, they had been so preoccupied by Lisa's invention and the images of Lincoln's X-rays that they hadn't noticed a certain someone lurking in the air vents leading into their bedroom; it was Lucy. She had moved into the vents to write more melancholy poems earlier, and she took notice on everything going on in her parents bedroom. The vent cover was small, but it had been wide enough for Lucy to see into the room, and she had heard everything that Lisa had revealed to her parents about Lincoln's condition. Lucy had also caught a glimpse of Lincoln's X-ray in the process, and it had filled Lucy with a feeling she had never felt before; true terror. Lucy wasn't the type of person to normally show her sorrow and grief, but after hearing and seeing actual evidence that revealed Lincoln having only one month to live terrified Lucy to the very core. Because of this, Lucy had crawled away back towards the vent leading into hers and Lynn Jr's room before Lisa had mentioned the part about the C.N.I unit, so she wasn't yet aware of it.

"Lincoln's... going to die in one month?! This... this can't be happening" Lucy trembled softly inside the vent, feeling tears brewing in her eyes.

How would she tell her other sisters about this? More so, would telling her other sisters be a good idea? Lucy had heard Lisa mention to her parents that letting the rest of her sisters know about the hemorrhage in Lincoln's was a very bad idea since they were all on edge about his condition, especially Luan. Unlike Lisa however, Lucy didn't possess such a wise and intelligent mind like her and didn't consider the possibilities of how much damage this info would do to Luan, so she made the very foolish choice to tell the rest of her sisters along with Luan about what Lisa had just said.

"I... I have to tell everyone about this" Lucy said, pushing the vent open and re-entering her room where Lynn Jr was sitting on her bed.

"Oh, Lucy! You startled me for a moment," Lynn exclaimed, then noticed the tear streaks on Lucy's face and knew that something wasn't right. "Hey, you okay? What's with the tears?".

Lucy looked up at Lynn, then said, "I... I just overheard Lisa telling Mom and Dad something, and your not going to like it".

Now looking concerned, Lynn asked, "What is it?".

Lucy sniffed, then said, "It... its about Lincoln".

Lynn felt her heart skip a beat when Lucy mentioned Lincoln. She had a feeling from seeing Lucy's expression that whatever Lisa had told her parents about Lincoln wasn't good, yet she wasn't prepared for what she was about to hear, and it would soon come to haunt her and the rest of her sisters forever.

* * *

 **A/N: Uh oh! Looks like Lisa's little secret is out! How will the rest of the Loud siblings react to hearing what Lucy has to say? And how do you think Luan will cope with it? You'll find out soon enough.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hey there, Loud House fans! The next chapter is now up! In this chapter, Lisa begins work on constructing the C.N.I unit, until Lucy enters the basement eager for answers. As for Luan... read on to find out!**

 **Disclaimer: My OC characters are all that I own.**

* * *

Chapter 9: Luan's Dream

Down in the house basement, Lisa gazed at the C.N.I unit blueprints carefully as she began fastening the side panels of the dragster shaped body on the machine. It had been exactly an hour since Lisa had revealed everything about Lincoln's brain hemorrhage to her parents, and she had already constructed the flat bottom part of the C.N.I unit and was in the process of welding and screwing the side panels onto it with the small tire wheels on the sides. Once the whole bottom was fully assembled, Lisa planned to install the large lithium battery into the unit and construct the power conduit which would allow the battery to power the machine once it was fully complete. As Lisa worked carefully with the machine, she heard someone approaching from behind her, catching her almost off guard. Lisa spun around and saw that it was Lucy.

"Oh! Lucy, what brings you here?" Lisa asked curiously, not expecting to see Lucy down in the basement.

Lucy didn't answer, and when Lisa noticed the perturbed expression on Lucy's face, she knew something wasn't right. While Lisa couldn't see Lucy's eyes because of her black hair covering them, she could see Lucy frowning in a way that told her that something was clearly bothering her.

"You seem troubled. Is something bothering you?" Lisa asked.

"Very much so" Lucy answered in a rather cold manner.

"I see," Lisa replied, concerned. "Care to elaborate the problem?".

Lucy clenched her fists and said in a soft, yet cold tone of voice, "Why didn't you tell us, Lisa? Why didn't you tell us about Lincoln?".

Lisa felt her heart skip a beat when she heard Lucy ask that question, She realized at that moment that Lucy must have been eavesdropping on the entire conversation Lisa had with her parents about the hemorrhage in Lincoln's brain, and this made Lisa slightly panic. Had Lucy already told the rest of her sisters and Luan about it as well?

"I fail to understand what your asking" Lisa lied.

"Don't play that game with me," Lucy snapped. "I was in the vents writing my poems when I heard you speaking to our parents about something serious, so I crawled over to the vent leading into their room and heard everything. I'm not stupid!".

Seeing as how Lisa was obviously cornered, she replied with, "So... you know about Lincoln's condition... I presume?".

"Yes, and what I want to know is why you didn't tell the rest of us about it" Lucy replied coldly.

"Its because I don't want to cause anymore tension than there already is," Lisa answered. "If everyone else were to find out what I revealed to our parents, it would cause a great deal of unrest, stress, and depression amongst the rest of our siblings. And as for Luan, she'd most likely end up on suicide watch if she learned that Lincoln was going to die at the end of the month".

"You don't know that for sure, Lisa," Lucy argued. "I think its only fair that we let everyone else know about this".

"Not until my invention is complete" Lisa stated firmly.

Lucy looked over at the machine Lisa was constructing and wondered what this so called invention was. Since she hadn't stuck around long enough in the vents to hear Lisa's explanation of the C.N.I unit to her parents, Lucy didn't know about it yet.

"And just what is this?" Lucy asked, pointing at the bottom part of the half constructed machine.

"Don't you know? You said you listened to everything in the vents, so aren't you aware of my plan to save our brother?" Lisa asked, confused.

"Not everything," Lucy confessed. "I... I left the vents after hearing you mention the part about Lincoln's brain problem, so I don't know what else you said to Mom and Dad".

"I see," Lisa replied. "Well, to put it simply, this is a machine capable of injecting millions of microscopic sized nanites into a persons brain which are designed to repair damaged brain tissue and remove brain tumors and hemorrhages that can't be removed through normal surgical means. It'll take almost the rest of the month to complete, but once its done, I'll be able to save our brothers life".

"Seriously? That sounds like something out of some dark sci-fi story" Lucy said in disbelief.

"I can assure you that this isn't a joke," Lisa retorted in a serious tone. "I wouldn't lie about something like this. Technology like this definitely seems like something at least a century away from now, but with the right scientific mind, anything is possible".

"How long will it take to complete this machine of yours? Lincoln doesn't have more than a month to live" Lucy wondered.

"Hopefully, if all goes according to plan, I should have it completed before the end of the month. Once the machine is fully constructed, I'll be able to successfully save our brother from death," Lisa answered. "All I ask is that you keep absolutely quiet about Lincoln's condition while in the presence of our other siblings in order to prevent certain unrest and panic from occurring, and I don't even need to tell you how serious it is that you don't let Luan know about it either".

"Don't you think they have the right to Know? And besides, even if I stay quiet, eventually, our sisters are gonna become suspicious when they see you working on this machine down here" Lucy pointed out.

"I'll simply tell them that it's part of a science experiment that I'm conducting" Lisa replied.

"I highly doubt they'll fall for that, given the fact that this looks nothing like a science experiment. The bottom part of this machine barely looks complete" Lucy replied doubtfully.

"I'm aware of that," Lisa said sarcastically. "I'm also aware that our siblings will eventually grow suspicious of what I'm doing down here, and when the time comes, I'll let them know about Lincoln's condition. Mom and Dad have also agreed to insure our sisters that I'm simply working on a special science project down here. For now though, we need to keep them in the dark about this to ensure that the tension in this house doesn't get any worse than it already has. Mom and Dad are already freaking out about the hemorrhage, and it'll only get worse if everyone else finds out about it, so please don't say a word about any of this".

Lucy was silent for over a minute as she pondered on what to do. She hadn't considered the facts that Lisa had just mentioned due to the overbearing shock of learning that Lincoln's life was on the line because of a growing brain hemorrhage, yet she knew that Lisa was right about one thing. If Luan learned of this, she'd end up having a mental breakdown over it, and her other siblings would definitely not take the bad news well at all either. Lucy doubted that any of them would attempt suicide like Luan presumably would, but she knew that they'd all be emotionally and mentally scarred for life over learning that their only brother would die from a forming brain hemorrhage. Lucy had known Lisa since the day she had shown her talents as a prodigy, and knowing how intelligent she was, Lucy knew she wasn't prone to making mistakes when times were deadly serious like this.

"Lisa, you sure that you know what your doing? I mean, I'm no science buff, but what if something bad happens to Lincoln when you use this machine on him. You've used us as test subjects in the past for many of your other experiments, and some of them didn't go very well. What if this thing fries Lincoln's brain?" Lucy asked worriedly.

"Mom and Dad asked that same question, and I can assure you that no harm will come to him," Lisa answered. "I ran several test simulations on my laptop to ensure that the machine won't cause any fatal damage to the patients brain when used, and all the tests came out positive. I'm fully certain that this machine is safe".

"I see," Lucy replied simply. "Then it would seem that our brothers life is in your hands".

"Yes, it is," Lisa nodded. "And if this machine is successful, it can be mass produced and shipped to billions of other hospitals across the globe to be used on other patients in need of brain surgery. This invention will not only save our brothers life, but possibly billions of other lives out there in the world, and it will give humanity a huge leap in medical technology advancement".

"Then I pray for your success" Lucy replied.

"I take it that you'll stay silent about Lincoln's condition for now?" Lisa asked.

"It will be as you wish" Lucy replied with a nod.

"Glad to see we have an understanding," Lisa said, turning back to the machine. "I'd best get back to constructing this device. There's no time to lose".

Lucy nodded, then rushed back upstairs and climbed back into the air vents while putting all her faith in Lisa to save Lincoln's life.

...

...

Several hours later around 9:00 PM, everyone was heading off to bed, including Luan. She had been sitting in her room all day mumbling to her dummy Mr. Coconuts about how much she feared for her brothers life and various other things regarding the whole situation, and she was now exhausted. Luna hasn't said much to Luan the whole day since she still detested her for being the cause of Lincoln's accident, and even now as she and Luan got into bed, she still didn't say much to Luan.

Meanwhile in Lily's room, Lisa had made a few last finishing touches to the Dream Simulator band before exiting the room quietly as to not wake up Lily. Once she was out in the hall, she carefully and quietly walked down the hall towards Luna and Luan's room. The hallway was dimly lit by a night light plugged into the wall, allowing Lisa to navigate down the hall without bumping into anything. Once Lisa reached Luan and Luna's room, she saw her two sisters snoozing in their beds.

Lisa slowly approached Luan's bed with the Dream Simulator headband in hand, being careful as to not wake up Luan or Luna. She had programmed the device with a special dream simulation that she felt certain would ease Luan's stress and guilt over Lincoln's accident, a dream that was more beautiful than some of the horrid nightmares that Lisa was sure Luan might have been having. Lisa could tell that Luan was probably having a nightmare that very moment since she could be seen with a saddened expression on her sleeping face, and Luan was moaning softly in both sorrow and dismay.

"Don't worry, sister," Lisa whispered as she gently slid the metal band around Luan's head and tapped a few buttons on it. "You'll feel better soon".

A set of lights came on on both sides of the headband, flashing red. After a few seconds of flashing red, the lights turned green, letting Lisa know that it was functioning correctly.

...

...

Luan opened her eyes as she felt a gentle breeze blowing through the air, then sat up to find herself in the middle of an enormous field of grass and various colored trees. A long lake of sparkling water ran through the field of grass leading into a large clearing about fifty feet ahead of Luan where she saw something glowing brightly. Up above in the sky, Luan saw a beautiful aurora borealis shining brightly among the starry night sky. Luan felt both awed and intrigued by this beautiful place, and surprisingly calm.

"What is this place?" Luan wondered as she walked towards the source of the bright light in the clearing up ahead.

As Luan got closer, she felt as if she weren't alone in this strange yet beautiful forest of trees. Normally, any person might have panicked after waking up in the middle of a strange forest with no knowledge on how they got here, yet Luan didn't feel any sort of fear, nor did she panic. Instead, she felt warm and happy, which was something Luan hadn't felt since Lincoln's accident. Before the incident on April Fools Day that left Lincoln a shell of his former self, Luan had always been full of laughter, joy, and happiness. However, after Lincoln was severely injured by one of her botched prank traps, any happiness or positive emotion that Luan once had was gone and replaced by sorrow, regret, and fear.

Each new day was a day that Luan constantly feared for Lincoln's life, wondering if that day would be his last, wondering if that day would be the day that Lincoln ended up succumbing to his injuries and ended up dying in the hospital. Luan honestly couldn't understand why she was feeling any sort of joy or happiness right now after everything that has happened, yet she'd soon find the answer to this mystery. Once Luan finally made it into the clearing, she was greeted to one of the most beautiful sights she had ever seen this far. In front of Luan was an enormous shallow lake with a beautiful fountain in the center which had a glowing star shaped wand sitting on the very top. This fountain closely resembled the fountain of dreams from the _Kirby_ game series that her friends had frequently played in the past during sleepovers. However, the fountain wasn't all that Luan saw.

There, standing next to the beautiful fountain was none other than Lincoln, and he was standing near the fountain with his back turned to Luan. Lincoln looked just as he did before his accident on April Fools day, completely unharmed and fully healthy. No signs of brain damage or any other impairments. Luan felt tears of both happiness and remorse well up on her eyes as she slowly approached Lincoln, her footsteps making soft splashing sounds. Lincoln then turned to face Luan with a smile, looking better than ever before. Luan had no idea weather this was a dream or some vision from above, but right now, none of it mattered. Just being able to see her brother completely unharmed, unscathed, and standing again filled Luan with pure joy and happiness.

"Hey Luan," Lincoln greeted. "This place is beautiful, isn't it?".

Luan responded by rushing up and tightly embracing Lincoln, letting her tears flow.

"Nothing's more beautiful than seeing you here unharmed," Luan sniffed. "I... I'm so sorry for what I did, Lincoln! I... ".

"Luan," Lincoln began, embracing Luan. "There's no need to apologize. I know that you didn't mean to hurt me, and as for Bun-Bun, I'm glad you fixed him up. That really means a lot to me, Luan".

Luan felt so much relief knowing that her brother forgave her for harming him with her pranks, yet she still felt horrible that Lincoln would still be crippled for the rest of his life.

"But... you'll never be the same again. You've been brain damaged and paralyzed from the waist down forever" Luan protested.

"True, but in this place, I don't have to worry about any of that" Lincoln replied.

Luan glanced all around the area and wondered just what exactly this place was. Was this some alternate dimension, a dream, or maybe limbo? She had been trying to figure out what this place was, yet Luan couldn't, no matter how hard she tried.

"What is this place exactly? Is this the afterlife? Is it a dream?" Luan asked.

"Afterlife? Oh, heavens no," Lincoln laughed. "I'm still alive, and so are you, so this is no afterlife".

"Then what is it? I've never seen a place so beautiful like this before. I can only assume this is a dream since this fountain looks like the fountain of dreams from those _Kirby_ games" Luan wondered, glancing at the beautiful fountain next to her and Lincoln.

"This place is what you'd call "The Dream Realm". It's a place where troubled people can find relief and comfort in their dreams. It doesn't matter what injuries they may have received out in the real world. In this place, your as free and healthy as any normal person" Lincoln explained.

"The dream realm? Is that where we go in our dreams?" Luan asked curiously.

"In a manner of speaking, yes," Lincoln nodded. "The dream realm is whatever you desire it to look like".

"If this is a dream, who's dream is this?" Luan asked.

"I believe its your dream," Lincoln replied. "And I'm a part of it".

"This place is... beautiful," Luan said in awe, glancing at the fountain and the entire shiny lake around them. "I wonder why the dream realm took this form".

"The dream realm usually takes the form of places that people are familiar with in real life, and I believe that because this place is a landscape that you've seen before whenever you played the Kirby games in the past. There's many things about the dream realm I don't yet understand either, but I believe it will change into whatever form you desire if you focus on the landscape hard enough in your mind" Lincoln explained.

"There's no need for that," Luan said, embracing Lincoln again. "I'm happy right where we are, right here with you. I just wish that... that this dream would never end. Once it does, you'll be disabled again out there in the real world... and it's all my fault".

"Luan," Lincoln said, embracing Luan. "I know you didn't mean to do what you did, and as for Bun-Bun, I did get very upset when that party ball exploded and damaged him. But when I saw that you repaired him, it really warmed my heart knowing that you atoned for what you did, and I can't thank you enough".

"I... I know," Luan said softly, feeling tears run down her face again. "I just wish that I could have you back the way you always were, back in the real world".

"Don't despair, Luan," Lincoln assured her. "Lisa will find a way to save me, so have faith in her. I may not be entirely the same as I used to be back in the real world, but with Lisa's help, parts of me may be healed enough to speak again. And if I'm lucky, I'll be able to recover more of my memories".

"Yeah, you weren't able to recognize all of us in the hospital, like Bobby and the Casagrandes. As for Ronnie Anne, you acted terrified when she got close to you" Luan recalled.

"I did? Ronnie Anne is my friend. I mean, yes, she was a bit tough and often pestered the living daylights out of me many times before, but we eventually got along rather well" Lincoln said, surprised.

"You don't remember anything from the hospital?" Luan asked, frowning.

"Not much," Lincoln replied. "Back in the real world, my physical body sustained a lot of damage, and my brain got hurt the most. Because of that, remembering things is very hard to do back in the real world".

"What can you remember since your accident?" Luan asked.

"Hmm, well, I do remember fragments of you and the others in the recovery room with me after I awoke from surgery. Then there's the time from yesterday when I was being cleaned in the hospital shower room by Mom and some doctor; I can't remember who he is" Lincoln replied. "Then I remember Mom having an emotional breakdown over my injuries, and then of the Casagrandes coming to see me, but nothing else after that. I can remember every memory since I was young from here in the dream world, but even here, I can't remember every event that took place after my accident with the fridge. As I mentioned, most of those events are foggy and hard to remember because of the brain damage I received".

"I see," Luan said sadly. "I don't know how Lisa could possibly help you. I mean, she's a real genius and all, but even Lisa has her limits".

"Don't be so sure, Luan," Lincoln said with a smile. "I'm sure Lisa will figure out how to heal some of my injuries, and I think you might be a bit surprised on what she has in store".

Luan was a bit confused by this. What did Lincoln mean by "what she has in store?". Luan was about to ask Lincoln when the dream world began shimmering a bit.

"Hmm," Lincoln said, glancing around. "It seems as though your starting to wake up back in the real world. I'm glad I was able to see you again, Luan. I hope we can meet again in our dreams like this".

As Lincoln suddenly started to shimmer and become transparent, Luan quickly embraced him.

"Please don't leave me, Lincoln! I can't bear to see you back in your crippled state! I don't want to leave this place, not ever!" Luan pleaded.

"Oh Luan," Lincoln comforted, embracing her. "You know how the old saying goes; all good things have to end at some point. Just remember, I'll always be with you, no matter what state I'm in. I may not be the same out there in the real world, but I'll still be there to see you, even if my mind isn't as it was before".

"No Lincoln," Luan said, almost sobbing at this point. "You have no idea what its like for me out there in the real world! Everyday I worry about your health as you lay there in that hospital, wondering about weather or not you'll make through your recovery or end up even worse. Its tearing me apart, Lincoln! I... I don't know how much more of it I can take back out there!".

"I know how hard it must be for you, but you can't stay here forever. You have to face reality and learn to overcome whatever difficult paths that lay ahead, and that includes my well being," Lincoln replied, hugging Luan. "If you don't learn how to overcome those paths and just shut yourself out from the world because of a mistake you made, it'll haunt you for the rest of your life. Don't shut the world out because of me, Luan. Learn to overcome this event, and never give up".

Hearing Lincoln say such powerful words lifted a lot of pressure off of Luan's shoulders. Ever since Lincoln's horrible accident at her hands, Luan had become a completely different person. Before, she had been a happy, rambunctious teen who was always trying to make other people laugh with her jokes, pranks, and puns, despite some of them not being very good and some of them being annoying. However, after Lincoln suffered his life changing accident because of a prank trap gone horribly wrong, Luan's personality had changed completely. After the events of April Fools day, Luan was now a sad, depressed, and anxious person who didn't know what to do with her life at this point. Comedy has always been Luan's talent, but after what had happened to Lincoln, she never wanted to have anything to do with comedy ever again. Even if her parents didn't ban Luan from pulling pranks, cracking jokes, or telling puns in the house, Luan would still never want to have anything those things ever again. Comedy was what got Lincoln into this horrible mess, and it would always serve as a tragic reminder to Luan that her brother would never be the same again because of how out of control she had been with her pranks. However, Luan knew that Lincoln was right about one thing, and that was the fact that she couldn't let this horrible event control her life forever. Luan would have to move on at some point in life, no matter how hard it would be.

"I... I'll try, Lincoln," Luan finally said. "But I don't know how".

"You will, Luan," Lincoln responded. "In time, you will. I believe in you, Luan".

Lincoln now began to fade away slowly, causing Luan to grow distressed.

"Please, don't go!" she pleaded.

"I believe in you, sis. I believe in you" Lincoln repeated, until he faded away with the rest of the dream world.

...

...

Lisa noticed Luan beginning to rapidly stir in her sleep, making her realize that Luan was slowly waking up. Lisa quickly pulled the Dream Simulator headband off Luan's head and rushed out of the room just before she woke up completely. Once Lisa was back in her own room, she glanced down at the band and saw the green light flashing rapidly on the left side, letting her know that the dream simulation she programmed into it worked successfully. Smiling with satisfaction, Lisa set the band on her bedside as she climbed into bed, exhausted from staying awake in Luan and Luna's room for over an hour.

"Don't you worry, Luan. I'll save our brothers life, I promise" Lisa whispered to herself, then fell asleep, dreaming of Lincoln.

* * *

 **A/N: Well, it seems Luan got a little bit of closure, but will Lisa be able to complete the C.N.I unit on time? Stay tuned to find out!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hey folks, chapter ten is now up! Lisa continues her work on constructing the C.N.I unit in the basement, but faces a bit of a setback. As for Luan, well, read on to find out.**

 **Disclaimer: My OC characters are all that I own.**

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Chapter 10: Setback

Lisa was the first one up around 9:00 AM; it was Tuesday.

"Has it really been just three days since Lincoln's accident? It seems much longer than usual" Lisa muttered to herself as she quietly slid out of bed, eager to continue working on the C.N.I units construction.

Lily was still asleep, so Lisa quietly got dressed to avoid waking her up. Once she was fully dressed, Lisa quietly exited the room and saw someone entering the bathroom just as she left the room. For one brief moment, Lisa was able to catch sight of Luan entering the bathroom, so she quickly rushed down the stairs in case Luan decided to come back out. The last thing Lisa needed was Luan finding out about what she was doing. The C.N.I unit still had quite a way to go until it was fully complete, so Lisa couldn't waste anymore time. She thought about maybe calling her friend Darcy over to assist her with the machines construction, but quickly decided against it.

While Lisa knew that Darcy was always eager to help her out, she did not possess the same intellect and intelligence as Lisa did, and letting a naive six year old like Darcy have access to such a highly advanced and complex piece of technology like the C.N.I unit could prove to be disastrous. If Darcy did just one thing wrong, like install a vital component incorrectly, Lisa's one chance to save Lincoln would be lost. Another thing Lisa hasn't considered was that Darcy might go off blabbing about the machine to the rest of her friends, family, and the other Loud siblings. If she did that, Lisa would have no alternative but to reveal her purpose for constructing the machine, and this was something Lisa wanted the least.

She didn't want to let her other sisters find out about Lincoln's brain hemorrhage until the C.N.I unit was fully constructed, otherwise they'd all start to panic, and that was the last thing Lisa wanted. The fact that Lucy knew about everything put Lisa a bit on edge, but she was fairly certain that Lucy wouldn't go off revealing Lincoln's condition to the rest of her sisters. She had sworn not to say a word about it, so Lisa could only hope she lived up to her word. As Lisa began to continue working on the machine, she heard scuffling over by the washer and dryer and turned to face whoever it was. For a moment, Lisa was afraid that one of her sisters might have been spying on her, but sighed in relief when she saw that it was just Charles the dog snoozing on a pile of towels in the corner of the basement.

"False alarm" Lisa sighed in relief and continued working on the C.N.I unit, hoping to complete more of it before the day ended.

...

...

Luan stood near the window of her room, recalling the heartwarming dream she had the other night. She never thought she'd get to see her brother again in his original state as he had been before his accident, even if it was still only a dream. Luan wasn't exactly sure what to call it, but whatever it was, it had all seemed so real even though deep down she knew it wasn't. Lincoln's words continued to echo in her mind as she remembered everything he had said at the beautiful fountain, the forgiveness, everything. This had filled Luan with hope for the future, and she had a feeling that things would eventually turn out fine in the end, yet there was one thing that had been on Luan's mind all this time since waking up from the dream. Just what did Lincoln mean by telling her that Lisa had something interesting in store? She couldn't figure that one part out, but Luan wasn't going to let it bother her. Lincoln had urged Luan to move on and not let her guilt get in the way of her life, otherwise, she'd never move on.

"Hey Luan, you hungry? Lori made breakfast" Luna called out from the entrance to her's and Luan's room.

Luan snapped out of her trance and turned around to face Luna.

"Oh! Yeah, I'll be right down" Luan nodded as she proceeded to change out of her night clothes and into her normal clothes.

"Okay" Luna replied, then headed back downstairs.

The other Loud siblings weren't as active as they normally were due to everything involving Lincoln, but they still talked amongst each other about various other things going on in their daily lives. Rita and Lynn Sr had already informed all of them earlier that Lisa was working on a very important project for school inside the basement and that no one should enter it unless they knocked first. If they violated this demand, they'd be in serious trouble. Luan hadn't been made aware of this yet since she had been in her room the whole time, but her other sisters made it a priority to let her know about it ASAP. Once Luan was downstairs and in the dining room, she found all her other siblings there eating calmly, making Rita and Lynn Sr feel relieved. Before the April Fools incident, the Loud sisters were always making a loud racket over who would be served first and various other nonsense, yet they all seemed calmer and less active due to their brother being in the hospital.

"Hey guys," Luan greeted casually as she sat at her place where she found a plate of bacon and eggs waiting for her. "You'll never guess what happened last night. I the strangest, yet most wonderful dream ever".

"Can't see how that's possible. All I see in my dreams are dark shadows of doom" Lucy commented in her usual gloomy tone.

Rita and Lynn Sr just glared at her briefly, but said nothing as they continued eating.

"Uh, what kind of dream are we talking here?" Lana asked curiously.

"Well, I was in this large shallow lake with a fountain in the center of it, and Lincoln was there" Luan answered.

This perked up the attention of her other sisters and parents.

"Oh really?" Lola asked suspiciously.

"Yeah, and the best part about it was that he was just like he was before... before April Fools" Luan answered, hesitating near the end as she recalled the reasons for Lincoln's injuries.

"Like that'll ever happen" Lynn Jr scoffed.

Ignoring Lynn, Luan said, "Lincoln told me that he forgave me for everything I did, and also thanked me for fixing Bun-Bun. He also told me that I shouldn't let this affect the rest of my life and that Lisa will help heal his injuries somehow".

Luan was cut off when Lynn Sr suddenly put his foot down, silencing her.

"Luan, that's enough," he ordered firmly. "No more about Lincoln. He'll get better, so just be quiet and stop talking about him for once!".

"Lynn!" Rita scolded.

All of the girls turned to face their father in confusion. His expression was that of both sorrow, anger, and a look of slight pity.

"Dad, you okay?" Lori asked in concern.

Lynn Sr glanced at all of them, then felt a strange wetness on his face and realized that they were tears. He quickly wiped them off his face and sighed.

"I'm fine, I just...," Lynn Sr paused with a sigh and stood up. "I'm not hungry right now".

As Lynn stormed off, all the girls looked at each other in concern. They hadn't seen their father act like this since seeing Lincoln in the hospital after his surgery, and they also noticed that their mother looked a bit on edge as well, not as emotional as Lynn Sr, but with a look of uncertainty and concern. Lucy was the only one who knew the reason as to why their parents were acting like this, but she didn't dare say a word about it while her sisters were present.

"Mom, what's wrong with Dad?" Luan asked in concern.

"He's...," Rita paused, trying to think of the right words to say without revealing what Lisa told her and Lynn the other night. "He's just worried about Lincoln a bit more than usual, so don't be too hard on him".

Luan could understand that everyone was very worried and on edge about Lincoln, but for some reason, Lynn Sr was taking it much harder than usual all of a sudden. This seemed slightly odd given that everyone had pretty much accepted the fact that Lincoln would be impaired for the rest of his life, yet Lynn Sr seemed to be having an emotional breakdown over it. Luan and her sisters suspected that maybe it was because Lynn Sr and Rita were taking it much harder since they were his parents, but something about all of it seemed off for some reason.

"Is Lisa going to join us?" Lola asked curiously, noticing that Lisa was absent from her table space.

"She's busy with her project right now. She said she'll eat in a little while," Rita replied. "And remember what I told all of you; no entering the basement without permission from me or your father".

Luan looked over at Rita in confusion and asked, "Why do you want no one in the basement?".

"Because Lisa asked me to inform you all that she's working on a very important project for school after spring break, and she wants no one else going down in the basement until it's complete" Rita replied.

"A project? What type?" Lynn Jr asked.

"Must be something big" Lana guessed.

"Girls, it isn't important as to what it is. Just understand that I don't want anyone entering the basement until Lisa completes her project" Rita informed them in a stern voice.

"Um, okay," Lori said, confused. "How long will this project of hers take to complete?".

"Lisa isn't sure yet," Rita answered. "Just do what I say and don't bother Lisa or go down into the basement unless I say so".

"Who's gonna take the laundry down there then? I got a lot of sports clothes to wash" Lynn Jr wondered.

"Me and your father will handle the laundry, so you all will be spared from doing laundry for the time being. That doesn't mean your excused from doing your other chores though" Rita replied.

"We understand, Mom," Leni said. "By the way, when can we go see Lincoln again?".

"Maybe tomorrow," Rita replied."The dentist office called me in, so I have to work today until around 5PM. Your Dad will be here in case you need anything".

"All right," Leni answered, then glanced over at Luan. "What about Luan?".

Rita glanced over at Luan with a frown, then said, "She is to remain in her room until further notice. Luan may only leave her room to do her chores, use the restroom, go to school, and to eat. She is still grounded for what she did".

"Mom," Lori said. "I know that what Luan did was very serious, but keeping her away from socializing around other people doesn't seen right".

"I'm sorry Lori, but as harsh as it may seem, Luan will remain in her room for the remainder of this year. She needs to understand the severity of what she has done. Because of Luan and her pranks, there's a chance that Lincoln might..." Rita instantly stopped herself from blurted out that last sentence.

"Might what?" Lori asked.

The other Loud siblings looked just as concerned as Rita tried to make an excuse to save herself from revealing everything that Lisa was doing, but she had no alibi. Rita's expression also turned from serious to sorrowful as she thought of everything that Lisa had told her. As tempted as Rita was to reveal everything to her daughters, she knew that doing that now would be a very bad idea, especially with Luan in the room.

Instead, she stood up from the table and said in a saddened voice, "It's nothing... never mind".

The girls all watched in confusion as Rita walked out of the dining, all bothered by the way she was acting. Luan was especially concerned as to why her mother suddenly went from being casual to depressed when she mentioned Lincoln. It might have seemed rather obvious as to why Rita would act like this whenever someone mentioned Lincoln, but this was a much different type of emotion than that. Rita was acting as if all hope had been lost and Lincoln was on his death bed, and this got Luan very worried. Did her mother know something that she wasn't telling the rest of the family? The other girls had their suspicions as well, but didn't know what to think at the time. Once Rita made it back up the stairs and into her room, she thought about Lincoln in the hospital, and about Lisa's plan to save his life. Could this plan of her's work? Could that machine really save Lincoln's life?

Rita knew that Lisa wasn't prone to making mistakes when the situation was deadly serious, yet there had been many times in the past when Lisa had tested out new experiments and inventions out on her siblings, and they didn't end that good. Those past incidents made Rita very uneasy about the idea of such a machine like the C.N.I unit being used on her son. Although Lisa had repeatedly stated that the test simulations of the machine had been successful, there was still that fear of what might happen if the machine didn't work the way Lisa intended. Would it kill Lincoln? Would it cause more damage to his brain than there already was? The fear of the unknown gripped Rita like a steel vice, and she didn't know what to do. While Rita knew for a fact that Lincoln would eventually die once the brain hemorrhage in his brain grew large enough, she was still worried that the same thing might happen if Lisa's invention didn't work like she intended it to. But either way, Lincoln would still die if Lisa didn't at least have a shot at saving his life with this machine of hers. The only thing Rita could do was put all her faith in Lisa and hope that she'd be able to save Lincoln's life.

Sighing sadly, Rita gazed up a picture of Lisa on the wall above her bed, then said, "Lisa... please don't let me down, my little genius. Your Lincoln's last hope".

...

...

A few hours had passed since Rita left for work, and Lisa was still busy constructing the C.N.I unit. Darcy had called her earlier and asked if she had time for a play date, but Lisa told her that she was very busy with an "important project" and had no time for playing around. Darcy was disappointed, but wished Lisa luck and left her at that. Lisa had to admit to herself that having some assistance on constructing the device would definitely speed up the progress on completing it, but she knew that doing so would mean exposing her reasons for building the machine in the first place, and Lisa couldn't do that. Lucy was the only one who knew of Lisa's plan to save Lincoln, but Lisa wanted none of her other siblings to know about it yet, and Lucy wouldn't be of any help to her. She had no knowledge on advanced technology like Lisa did, and having Lucy assist her could cause unwanted problems. Lana was the only one who had some experience with building, but Lisa couldn't risk letting Lana know why she was building the C.N.I unit, or else she'd let the rest of her sisters know.

The lower part of the C.N.I unit had been fully constructed by this point, which was the dragster shaped portion of the machine. The navigational headlights had also been installed along with the wheels and the wheel covers, but there was a problem, something that Lisa had failed to consider in her hast to construct the machine. It was how to get the C.N.I unit out of the basement once it was fully completed. There was no way to successfully maneuver the machine up the stairs, and carrying it up the stairs would be hard to do since the machine would be so heavy. Lisa sighed in frustration at the realization of the problem she now faced, and she knew now that fully constructing the C.N.I unit in the basement wouldn't be possible. The only other place that Lisa could successfully maneuver the machine around in once it was fully constructed was the garage, but then Lisa remembered that Luna sometimes used the garage to practice her guitar solo's. This would pose another problem since Luna's instruments would be in the way, and Lisa would need as much space as possible to construct the C.N.I unit. The main problem Lisa faced right now was getting the now half completed machine up the stairs and into the garage along with the other parts needed to finish it. There was no way she'd be able to move everything into the garage with her sisters out and about, so Lisa figured that she'd request help from her parents once her other sisters went to bed that night.

Since constructing the machine was out of the question until then, Lisa figured she'd take the time to relax for awhile since she had been working on the machine non-stop since she had told her parents everything she had found out at the hospital.

"I could use a rest for now," Lisa said to herself. "Better make sure no one comes down here, except for Lucy and my parents".

Lisa made her way up the stairs and into the hallway, then closed the basement door and locked it with a dead bolt key to ensure that no one entered. Afterwards, she headed down to her room to relax and prepare for the long days ahead to come. Lisa found it strange that the house wasn't as noisy as it usually was, but not that big of a surprise. Ever since Lincoln ended up in the hospital because of Luan, everyone was on edge and perturbed, fearing for his life. Lisa couldn't imagine how Luan was feeling, but she remembered the dream simulator she had used on Luan and could only hope that it helped ease her stress and fear. Once Lisa was in her room, she saw that her bedside clock read 3:43 PM, making her eyes widen in surprise. Lisa had no idea that so much time had passed since she resumed work on the C.N.I unit that morning. Time seemed to really fly since Lisa had started working on the machine to begin with. Nothing else seemed to matter other than saving Lincoln's life, so Lisa had needed as much time as possible to complete it, and she was quite amazed that she had managed to complete so much of the device in the last several hours.

However, Lisa couldn't afford anymore setbacks like this one. She needed to ensure that the machine would be able to leave the house once it was complete in order to be delivered to the hospital to be used on Lincoln in order to save his life. Lisa would be sure to let her parents know about needing to move the machine and its parts to the garage once Rita arrived home, then she'd continue working on it the next day. But for now, Lisa decided to rest up and maybe eat something since she hadn't eaten in several hours since she had started working on her invention, and felt a bit peckish all of a sudden. Lisa got off her bed, then exited her room and headed downstairs, finding the house a bit quieter than usual. Once Lisa made into the kitchen, she found Luan in there fetching a pepsi can from the fridge, catching her by surprise.

"Lisa! I didn't know you were still here" Luan said in surprise.

"Forgive the intrusion, but I was feeling a bit famished from some... important work. Mind me asking where our other siblings are at this present hour?" Lisa asked.

"They're hanging out at the mall, trying to get their minds off everything, and Dad's been alone in his room for the past several hours doing who knows what," Luan informed. "What have you been working on in the basement all day?".

Lisa wasn't sure how to answer that question without revealing too much, so she had to think up something very quickly.

"I assume mother informed you earlier that it was a project for school. Have you not yet been informed?" Lisa answered casually.

"Yes, Mom told us all that. What I want to know is why you don't want anyone seeing this so called project of yours until its complete. What's so secret about it that you can't let any of us see it?" Luan demanded suspiciously.

"I simply do not wish to be bothered, and I don't want anyone attempting to mess with it, so that is why I require complete solitude while constructing it" Lisa answered.

"Stop playing games with me, Lisa! You think I'm that stupid? Is that it?!" Luan suddenly snapped. "I KNOW for a fact that whatever it is your doing down in that basement isn't school related. You've never been this serious before when it comes to your so called inventions and experiments. You've practically secluded yourself away from the rest of the family, and on top of that, you absolutely refuse to let anyone know what it is that your building. Something serious is up, and I'm pretty sure it has to do with Lincoln! Am I right?".

Lisa said nothing; she had no idea how to answer Luan without revealing her purpose to building the C.N.I unit. While Lisa knew that it wouldn't take very long for her sisters to figure out that whatever it was she was working on in the basement had to do with Lincoln, Lisa still tried to figure out how to answer Luan without revealing the part about the brain hemorrhage in Lincoln's brain.

"Answer me, Lisa! Am I right?!" Luan practically yelled.

"You are correct, Luan" Lisa answered calmly.

"Then why are you keeping whatever it is a secret down there?! Don't you think that we all have a right to know?!" Luan demanded.

"Mom and Dad already know about the machine, and Lucy overheard me discussing the plans to build it, so she also knows about it as well" Lisa answered, trying not to anger Luan even further than she seemed to be.

"And what does this machine do? I want to know, and I want to know now!" Luan snapped.

"It will take a lot of time to explain, but I might as well show you the machine itself since it would be difficult to explain in words," Lisa replied. "Also, I'd appreciate it if you'd calm your temper. I've done nothing wrong, and if anything, I am attempting to help our brother recover from the mess you got him into in the first place".

Luan wanted to argue, but she knew that Lisa was right about Lincoln's condition being her fault, so she said nothing.

"If you wish to see what I have accomplished so far, then follow me to the basement" Lisa instructed Luan, who began following her to the basement.

As Lisa headed towards the basement with Luan following behind her, she made a personal note not to so much as even mention anything about the brain hemorrhage in Lincoln's brain to Luan. Instead, she'd simply tell her what the purpose of the machine was and how it would save Lincoln's life, but she wouldn't reveal anything else until construction on the machine was complete. Upon realizing this, Lisa felt a bit stupid for not thinking this through sooner, but she couldn't really blame herself for being so seclusive. Her brothers life was on the line because of a hemorrhage forming in his brain that would kill him at the end of the month, and as a result, Lisa had panicked and didn't think things through carefully. In the process, she ended up secluding herself in her work and didn't even at least explain that she was inventing a machine that could save Lincoln's life. Lisa had feared that Luan and her other sisters would know that Lincoln would die, and so she had planned on keeping her invention a secret, which she now knew would've proved to be impossible. Lisa planned to let the rest of her siblings know about the C.N.I unit once they returned home, but she would make absolutely sure not to reveal what she had learned from Lincoln's X-ray. With her new plan in mind, Lisa lead Luan down the stairs and flipped on the basement light, ready to lift some of the heavy weight off her chest by showing Luan what she had accomplished so far.

* * *

 **A/N: So, it would seem Lisa is finally thinking things through more clearly, but how will Luan react to seeing Lisa's invention? And how will her other siblings react? Stick around to find out.**


End file.
